Whatever the name – be that the humble ‘chip’, the slightly misleading ‘microchip’, the technically robust ‘semiconductor integrated circuit’, or the slightly less technically robust ‘integrated circuit’ – chips are everywhere; in laptops, mobile phones, TVs, automobiles, displays, and other electrical products a thousand times over. Chips are crucial to enabling the relative luxuries of the modern world. While most chips in usage are electrical in nature, they are not the only physical systems in town.
In the report “Semiconductor Photonic Integrated Circuits 2023-2033”, IDTechEx takes a close look at photonic chip-scale systems, examining the technology capabilities, key players involved with the design and manufacture of photonic integrated circuits (PICs), and the addressable markets. Foremost among these markets is the communications industry, which currently accounts for more than the sum of all of the other addressable markets in terms of revenue generated. Yet, while the communications industry is certainly the principal driving force behind continued development in photonic chip-scale systems, IDTechEx notes that there are certain other markets where silicon photonics shows great promise as products enter the commercial space.
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Silicon Photonics for Automotive LiDAR
LiDAR has been around for a while now – the first prototype being built in the 1960s – but it is only recently that silicon photonics has presented itself as an attractive platform for automotive LiDAR systems. One way to differentiate LiDAR systems is via the beam steering technology they employ, be this mechanical, micro-electromechanical (MEMS), flash, optical phase array (OPA), or a specific combination.OPA LiDAR is the most common scanned solid-state technology developed globally, with Quanergy using a Near Infra Red (NIR) laser source and time-of-flight measurement process.
Improvements to performance and sensing capabilities brought about by Short-Wave Infra Red (SWIR), and Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) detection are attractive enough for many companies to begin developing LiDAR systems employing these technologies. FMCW detection is of particular import, as this method of detection allows – via the doppler shift – accurate analysis of an obstacle’s velocity.
SOURCE: PR Newswire