ROHM Semiconductor recently announced a new high-output laser diode, the RLD8BQAB3, for use in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS)-equipped with LiDAR for distance measurement and spatial recognition. Beyond ADAS, the 8x 125-W, 905-nm laser array targets consumer and industrial applications.

LiDAR has seen growing adoption in recent years across a variety of applications that require automation (e.g., automotive ADAS, SDVs, AGVs, drones), facilitating precise distance measurement and spatial recognition. To detect information at greater distances with more accuracy, the need arises for laser diodes that serve as light sources that deliver high, kW-level, illumination while enabling multiple light sources to emit light at close spatial intervals.

ROHM has established proprietary, patented technology that achieves narrow emission width, enhancing performance of long-distance, high-accuracy LiDAR. Its new 1-kW-class array-type product meets the demand for a high-output, high-performance laser diode.

The RLD8BQAB3, an ultra-compact, surface-mount, high-output 125-W × 8-ch infrared laser diode for LiDAR applications, utilizes 3D time-of-flight (ToF) systems to conduct distance measurement and spatial recognition. The optimized design features eight emission areas (each 300 µm wide) per element, installed on a sub-mount affixed to a high-heat-dissipation substrate

The package’s emitting surface incorporates a clear glass cap — an industry first for a surface-mount laser diode—eliminating the risk of light scattering caused by scratches during dicing that tends to occur with resin-encapsulated products, ensuring high beam quality. Each emission area is wired with a common cathode. This enables selection of the irradiation method based on application needs, ranging from individual emission that increases the number of light-emitting points to industry-leading simultaneous emission at ultra-high 1-kW class output.

This new product retains the key features of ROHM’s conventional laser diodes, including uniform emission intensity across the emission width along with a low-wavelength temperature dependence of 0.1 nm/°C (vs. 0.26 to 0.28 nm/°C for standard products). In addition, the array configuration narrows the regions of reduced emission intensity between channels. Meanwhile, the bandpass filter minimizes the effects of ambient light noise from the sun and other sources, contributing to long-distance detection and high-definition LiDAR.

By: DocMemory
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