II-VI Incorporated Unveils VCSEL Flood Illuminator Modules for Driver and Occupancy Monitoring Systems in Vehicles

II‐VI Incorporated (Nasdaq: IIVI), a leading provider of semiconductor lasers and micro-optics for consumer electronics, today announced its vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) flood illuminator modules for driver and occupancy monitoring systems in vehicles.

U.S. and European transportation safety regulators are increasingly recommending or requiring driver and occupancy monitoring systems in vehicles, spurring the demand for next-generation 2D and 3D infrared cameras designed with higher-performance infrared illuminators. II-VI’s new VCSEL flood illuminator modules emit higher optical power and with a narrower spectral width than infrared LEDs currently used in existing driver monitoring systems, enabling substantial improvements in system performance. The infrared light emitted from II-VI’s flood illuminator modules can be modulated to frequencies greater than 100 MHz, making them ideal for 3D time-of-flight cameras for driver and occupancy monitoring systems.

“Our new VCSEL flood illumination modules integrate VCSEL chips, photodiodes, and diffuser optics, achieving a greater level of vertical integration and value for our customers,” said Dr. Julie Eng, Sr. Vice President, Optoelectronic & RF Devices Business Unit. “We leveraged our in-house 6-inch GaAs technology platform to successfully scale production of our VCSEL arrays for consumer electronics, and we look forward to ramping production of flood illumination modules for in-cabin sensing in automotive as the demand grows.”

II-VI’s VCSELs achieve very high power-conversion efficiency and are available with up to 2.5 W or 5 W of continuous power output. The flood illuminator modules are available in surface-mount packages integrated with diffuser optics with either a narrow (60° x 45°) or wide (110° x 85°) field of view. The modules are expected to be AEC-Q102 certified for automotive applications in the second quarter of calendar 2021.

II-VI’s broad portfolio of products for sensing includes infrared VCSEL chips with one or up to hundreds of elements. II-VI also offers thin-film filters and diffractive optical elements (DOEs), including lenses, micro-lens arrays, diffusers, and splitters, that are produced at wafer-scale for high-volume applications.

II-VI will showcase its broad product line of lasers and optics for 3D sensing at the 2021 SPIE Photonics West Digital Forum, March 6-11, 2021.