Tower Semiconductor Announces Breakthrough LiDAR Technology
September 13, 2021 | Globe NewswireEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Tower Semiconductor, the leading foundry for high-value analog semiconductor solutions, today announced a breakthrough development of LiDAR IC technology designed for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and ultimately self-driving cars. The new, innovative IC designed by researchers from the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering was led by SungWon Chung and manufactured using Tower Semiconductor’s industry-leading open foundry Silicon Photonics platform. It employs optical phased arrays – hundreds of compact optical antennas -- along with amplitude and phase modulators on a silicon chip for accurate 3D imaging of the surrounding environment without the need for any moving parts. Additionally, the field of view, resolution, scanning pattern, and scanning speed are all programmable, meaning that cars outfitted with this system can respond much better to real-world scenarios.
Tower Semiconductor’s PH18 Silicon Photonics platform offers a rich set of optical components including ultra-high bandwidth modulators, and photodetectors, serving the demand in data center and infrastructure optical communication markets. This platform also offers high-performance elements necessary for high-precision LiDAR applications, such as low-loss silicon nitride waveguides capable of handling larger optical powers.
The LiDAR IC, operating at a human-eye friendly 1550nm wavelength uses continuous wave frequency modulation (FMCW) making it more resilient to environmental brightness and interferences from other LiDARs in a congested driving environment.
“We are proud to collaborate on this innovative and fundamental breakthrough LiDAR technology which is a step towards making safe autonomous vehicles and robots a reality. Tower believes that only through such pathbreaking scientific research today we can enable engineering solutions for tomorrow,” said Dr. Ed Preisler, Director of RF & HPA Technology Development, Tower Semiconductor.
The research for this was documented in the 2021 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference Digest of Technical Papers.
In addition to the mutual work done with Tower Semiconductor, this research at USC was partially supported by Toyota Central R & D Corporation (TCRDL), Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) and the USC Pratt and Whitney Institute for Collaborative Engineering (PWICE at USC).
Suggested Items
America Projected to Triple Semiconductor Manufacturing Capacity by 2032, the Largest Rate of Growth in the World
05/08/2024 | SIAThe Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), released a report on the global chip supply chain that projects the United States will triple its domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity from 2022—when the CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS) was enacted—to 2032.
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: ASMPT and Technica's Successful Partnership and Future Plans
05/08/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPONolan Johnson speaks with Frank Medina and Jeff Timms about the fruitful collaboration between ASMPT and Technica and the upcoming launch of a machine with enhanced capabilities. They also discuss partnerships with semiconductor firms, customer demo plans, and the significance of the demo center. The conversation highlights the potential in North America.
Q1 Global Semiconductor Sales Increase 15.2% YoY
05/07/2024 | SIAThe Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced worldwide sales of semiconductors totaled $137.7 billion during the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 15.2% compared to the first quarter of 2023 but 5.7% less than the fourth quarter of 2023.
Worldwide Silicon Wafer Shipments Dip 5% in Q1 2024
05/07/2024 | SEMIWorldwide silicon wafer shipments decreased 5.4% quarter-over-quarter to 2,834 million square inches in the first quarter of 2024, a 13.2% drop from the 3,265 million square inches recorded during the same quarter last year, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.
ZESTRON Academy Launches 2024 Advanced Packaging & Power Electronics Webinar Series
05/01/2024 | ZESTRONZESTRON, the leading global provider of high-precision cleaning products, services, and training solutions in the electronics manufacturing and semiconductor industries, proudly announces the launch of its highly anticipated webinar series on Advanced Packaging & Power Electronics, a webinar series on the latest innovations, cleaning, and corrosion challenges.