ams, Osram and Cepton join forces with 905nm lasers for autonomous driving lidar solutions

      Osram ams, a global leader in optical solutions, announced that it is now expanding its collaboration with Cepton Technologies (Cepton), a leader in lidar technology, to provide pioneering lidar solutions for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous driving and more . Recently, Cepton won a production contract from a top global automotive OEM based in Detroit to provide a range of lidar products for ADAS, further strengthening its leadership in autonomous driving. Lidar (LiDAR) is "Light Detection and Ranging" that helps create a 3D map of the vehicle's surroundings by calculating the time it takes for a laser beam to hit an object and bounce back to help guide the vehicle safely. Infrared illumination allows a vehicle to "see" its environment and is a key part of any lidar system, where ams Osram is a market-leading supplier with a strong laser portfolio that powers many of today's lidar systems .

      The large-scale mass production contract Cepton has won from the top five automotive OEMs in the world is an important milestone in the lidar industry. Cepton is on track to be the first lidar company in 2023 to offer a mass-market lidar solution using ams Osram's 905nm lasers across a wide range of vehicle types, not limited to luxury cars.

      Dr Jun Pei, CEO and Co-Founder of Cepton, said: "When we were looking for a laser source partner for our mass-market lidar solutions, ams Osram's high performance, compact size and automotive-grade edge-emitting lasers were the perfect match for us. The best choice. Our proprietary MMT® (Micro Motion Technology) imaging platform offers a good balance of performance, cost and reliability, while ams Osram supports eye-safe operation at 905nm, This makes LiDAR a mainstream application in mass consumer vehicles.”

      For over a decade, ams Osram has been the market leader, offering both edge emitting lasers (EEL) and vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), and introduced the first 905nm edge emitting laser to the market, due to its low cost and reliability, making it the most commonly used wavelength in lidar solutions. ams and Osram will continue to invest in advancing 905nm laser technology to make it more efficient and easier to integrate.

     "Our 905nm laser is one of the most efficient lasers on the market and provides the remote measurement data needed for autonomous vehicles to operate in any weather conditions, such as rain/snow/fog." ams Osram Senior Vice President and Visualization & Joerg Strauss, General Manager of the Laser Division, said: "We are delighted to continue our long-term partnership with Cepton to provide laser technology for mass-market, scalable automotive-grade lidar sensors. Cepton's end-to-end lidar solutions help reduce accidents and enable ADAS by , making our roads safer. Together, we will usher in a new era of autonomous vehicles.”

     The Cepton utilizes ams Osram's state-of-the-art laser diodes with exceptional performance and power efficiency. The compact product features multi-junction laser technology with three epitaxially grown emitters stacked on top of each other and can operate at temperatures up to 125°C.