The race is now on to shrink lidar in a similar way. Lidar was developed as a surveying method following the invention of the laser in the 1960s. It employs a laser beam to scan an area and then analyses the reflections that bounce back. As light has a much shorter wavelength than radio waves do, it is more readily reflected from small objects that radar might miss. Lidar is used to make maps, measure atmospheric conditions and by police forces to scan accident and crime scenes.
Typically, a lidar employs revolving mirrors to direct its laser beam, which is usually in the invisible near-infrared part of the spectrum, rather than the visible part. Commercial lidar can cost $50,000 or so a pop, but smaller, lower-powered versions are now available for $10,000 or less. A number of lidar makers, such as Velodyne, a Californian firm, are trying to develop what they call “solid-state” lidars, which are miniaturised versions with no moving parts. Some researchers are using a flash of laser light instead of a beam, and capturing the reflections with an array of tiny sensors on a chip.
Infineon, however, has taken a different tack and is using a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS). This particular MEMS was invented by Innoluce, a Dutch firm which Infineon bought in October 2016. The device consists of an oval-shaped mirror, just 3mm by 4mm, contained on a bed of silicon. The mirror is connected to actuators that use electrical resonance to make it oscillate from side to side, changing the direction of the laser beam it is reflecting. This, says Infineon, permits the full power of the laser to be used for scanning instead of its light being dispersed, as it would be in a flash-based system.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member