ams Osram introduces infrared lasers for industrial lidar applications

     ams Osram is expanding its extensive lidar portfolio with components for industrial applications. LiDAR (LiDAR) is a key technology for realizing autonomous driving. There are also many 3D environmental inspection applications in other fields outside the automotive industry. As a leader in the development and production of infrared pulsed lasers for lidar systems, the SPL TL90AT03 from ams Osram is suitable for applications such as industrial automation, security and covert traffic monitoring.

     Matthias Hoenig, LiDAR Marketing Manager at ams Osram, said: “Our years of experience in developing infrared lasers and our close cooperation with leading companies in the LiDAR field have enabled us to maintain a leading market position.” Regardless of the lidar application, the capabilities of these systems are generally very similar. The light source emits infrared light into the environment, and when the light reaches the object, it is reflected by the object and recorded by the detector. Based on the time it takes for the light to reach the object and return to the detector, the distance or structure of the object can be determined.

     The SPL TL90AT03 from ams Osram has been specially developed for short laser pulses of 5 to 100 nanoseconds. The laser achieves a light output of 65 W through a 110 µm aperture at a forward current of 20 A, which corresponds to an excellent efficiency of approximately 34%. The device uses TO56 MetalCan advanced packaging technology. Infrared components emit light at a given wavelength of 905 nanometers and are suitable for both lidar applications and a variety of other applications due to their compact size.

     Another advantage of this laser is its very narrow emission width (the area where light exits the component). It can be used in compact optics, reducing the overall size of the system. Additionally, this laser is available in other pin configurations such as the SPL UL90AT03.