News: Optoelectronics
9 January 2025
ROHM samples 1kW-class high-power IR laser diode
ROHM has developed the RLD8BQAB3 high-output laser diode for use in ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) equipped with LiDAR for distance measurement and spatial recognition. In addition to automotive applications, the firm is also initially supplying samples targeting consumer applications (drones, robot vacuums, golf rangefinders) and industrial applications (AGVs, service robots, and 3D monitoring systems such as sensors for human/object detection).
LiDAR has seen growing adoption in recent years across applications that require automation such as automotive ADAS, AGVs, drones, and robot vacuums, facilitating precise distance measurement and spatial recognition, notes ROHM. To detect information at greater distances with more accuracy, there is a need for laser diodes that serve as light sources to achieve high kW-level output while allowing multiple light sources to emit light at close intervals, the firm adds.
ROHM has established proprietary patented technology that achieves the narrow emission width of lasers, enhancing long-distance, high-accuracy LiDAR, beginning with the commercialization of the 25W output RLD90QZW5 in 2019 and the high-power 120W RLD90QZW8 in 2023. Building on these, the firm has developed a new 125W 8-channel (1kW-class) array-type product that meets the demand for a high-output, high-performance laser diode.
Picture: High-power laser diode lineup for LiDAR.
The RLD8BQAB3 is an ultra-compact surface-mount high-output 125W x 8-channel infrared laser diode for LiDAR applications that utilize 3D time-of-flight (ToF) systems to carry out distance measurement and spatial recognition. The optimized design features eight emission areas (each 300µm wide) per element, installed on a submount affixed to a high-heat-dissipation substrate.
The package’s emitting surface incorporates a clear glass cap — claimed to be 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, enabling the selection of the irradiation method based on application needs — ranging from individual emission that increases the number of light-emitting points to what is claimed to be industry-leading simultaneous emission at ultra-high outputs of 1kW class.
The 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 0.1nm/°C (versus 0.26–0.28nm/°C for standard products). In addition, the array configuration narrows the regions of reduced emission intensity between channels, while 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.
ROHM launches 120W high-power laser diode for LiDAR
ROHM launches 75W high-optical-output laser diode for LiDAR, AGVs, robots
