New high power laser diode for LiDAR

ROHM has created a high-power laser diode – the RLD90QZW8. It is excellent for industrial equipment and consumer applications needing distance measurement and spatial recognition.

The device is a 120W infrared high-output laser diode developed for LiDAR used in distance measurement and spatial recognition in 3D ToF systems. Original device development technology allows the company to lower the temperature dependence of the laser wavelength by 66% over general products to just Δ11.6nm (Ave. 0.10nm/C). This makes it feasible to narrow the bandpass filter while expanding the detection range of LiDAR. At the same time, a uniform light intensity of 97% is achieved over the industry's smallest class of emission width of 270µm, representing a range of 264µm that contributes to higher resolution. Further features that include high PCE enable efficient optical output that contributes to lower power consumption in LiDAR applications.

Various design support materials necessary for integrating and evaluating the new product are free of charge on its website, facilitating market introduction. To drive laser diodes with the high nano-second order speed needed for LiDAR applications, it now has a reference design that combines its 150V EcoGaN HEMT and gate drivers.

The company has also obtained certification under the IATF 16949 automotive quality management standard for front-end and back-end processes at its manufacturing facilities. As a result, product development of laser diodes for automotive applications (AEC-Q102 compliant) is underway, with commercialisation planned by the end of 2024.

Application Examples include consumer – robot vacuums, laser rangefinders; industrial – AGVs, service robots, 3D monitoring systems (sensors for human/object detection), and more.