InP Market Expanding, Proximity Sensor on iPhone 14, Depth Sensing Issues on iPhone 13

From Electronics Weekly and Yole:

https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/inp-moving-into-consumer-2022-10/

https://www.yolegroup.com/strategy-insights/apple-and-the-compound-semi-industry-the-story-begins/ 

The InP device market is expanding from traditional datacom and telecom towards the consumer reaching about $5.6 billion by 2027, says Yole Developpement.

 

Datacom and telecom applications are the traditional markets for InP.Land will continue to grow, but the biggest growth driver – with a 37% CAGR between 2021 and 2027 – will be consumer.
The InP supply chain is fragmented, though it is dominated by two vertically integrated American players: Coherent (formerly II-VI) and Lumentum.

The InP supply chain will need more investment with the rise of the consumer applications.
The migration to higher data rates, lower power consumption within data centres, and the deployment of 5G base stations will drive the development and growth of optical transceiver technology in the coming years.
 

As an indispensable building block for high-speed and long-range optical transceivers, InP laser diodes remain the best choice for telecom & datacom photonic applications.
This growth is driven by high volume adoption of high-data-rate modules, above 400G, by big cloud services and national telecom operators requiring increased fiber-optic network capacity.
 

With that in mind, the InP market, long dominated by datacom and telecom applications, is expected grow from $2.5 billion in 2021 to around $5.6 billion in 2027.
 

Yole Intelligence has developed a dedicated report to provide a clear understanding of the InP-based photonics and RF industries. In its InP 2022 report, the company, part of Yole Group, provides a comprehensive view of the InP markets, divided into photonics and RF sectors. It includes market forecasts, technology trends, and supply chain analysis. This updated report covers the markets from wafer to bare die for photonics applications and from wafer to epiwafer for RF applications by volume and revenue.
 

“There has been a lot of speculation on the penetration of InP in consumer applications,” says Yoke’s Ali Jaffal, “the year 2022 marks the beginning of this adoption. For smartphones, OLED displays are transparent at wavelengths ranging from around 13xx to 15xx nm”.
 

OEMs are interested in removing the camera notch on mobile phone screens and integrating the 3D-sensing modules under OLED displays. In this context, they are considering moving to InP EELs to replace the current GaAs VCSELs . However, such a move is not straightforward from cost and supply perspectives.
 

Yole Intelligence noted the first penetration of InP into wearable earbuds in 2021. Apple was the first OEM to deploy InP SWIR proximity sensors in its AirPods 3 family to help differentiate between skin and other surfaces.
 

This has been extended to the iPhone 14 Pro family. The leading smartphone player has changed the aesthetics of its premium range of smartphones, the iPhone 14 Pro family, reducing the size of the notch at the top of the screen to a pill shape.

 

To achieve this new front camera arrangement, some other sensors, such as the proximity sensor, had to be placed under the display. Will InP penetration continue in other 3D sensing modules, such as dot projectors and flood illuminators? Or could GaAs technology come back again with a different solution for long-wavelength lasers?
 

The impact of Apple adding such a differentiator to its product significantly affects companies in its supply chain, and vice versa.
 

Traditional GaAs suppliers for Apple’s proximity sensors could switch from GaAs to InP platforms since both materials could share similar front-end processing tools.
 

Yole Intelligence certainly expects to see new players entering the InP business as the consumer market represents high volume potential.
 

In addition, Apple’s move could trigger the penetration of InP into other consumer applications, such as smartwatches and automotive LiDAR with silicon photonics platforms.

In other Apple iPhone related news:

The True Depth camera on the iPhone 13 seems to be oversmoothing at distances over 20cm:

https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/694147

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/72222267/unwanted-smoothing-in-avdepthdata-on-iphone-13-not-evident-in-iphone-12

 

CellCap3D: Capacitance Calculations for Image Sensor Cells

Sequoia's CellCap3D is a software tool specifically designed for the capacitance matrix calculation of image sensor cells. It is fast, accurate and easy to use.

Please contact SEQUOIA Design Systems, Inc. for further details at info@sequoiadesignsystems.com

Videos du jour for Nov 14, 2022

Graphene Flagship (https://graphene-flagship.eu/) spearhead project AUTOVISION is developing a new high-resolution image sensor for autonomous vehicles, which can detect obstacles and road curvature even in extreme and difficult driving conditions.

 

 

SPAD and CIS camera fusion for high resolution high dynamic range passive imaging (IEEE/CVF WACV 2022) Authors: Yuhao Liu (University of Wisconsin-Madison)*; Felipe Gutierrez-Barragan (University of Wisconsin-Madison); Atul N Ingle (University of Wisconsin-Madison); Mohit Gupta ("University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA "); Andreas Velten (University of Wisconsin - Madison) Description: Reconstruction of high-resolution extreme dynamic range images from a small number of low dynamic range (LDR) images is crucial for many computer vision applications. Current high dynamic range (HDR) cameras based on CMOS image sensor technology rely on multiexposure bracketing which suffers from motion artifacts and signal-to-noise (SNR) dip artifacts in extreme dynamic range scenes. Recently, single-photon cameras (SPCs) have been shown to achieve orders of magnitude higher dynamic range for passive imaging than conventional CMOS sensors. SPCs are becoming increasingly available commercially, even in some consumer devices. Unfortunately, current SPCs suffer from low spatial resolution. To overcome the limitations of CMOS and SPC sensors, we propose a learning-based CMOS-SPC fusion method to recover high-resolution extreme dynamic range images. We compare the performance of our method against various traditional and state-of-the-art baselines using both synthetic and experimental data. Our method outperforms these baselines, both in terms of visual quality and quantitative metrics.

System Semiconductor Image Sensor Explained | 'All About Semiconductor' by Samsung Electronics

tinyML neuromorphic engineering discussion forum:

Neuromorphic Event-based Vision
Christoph POSCH
CTO
PROPHESEE

New Architecture for Visual AI, Oculi Technology Enables Edge Solutions At The Speed Of Machines With The Efficiency of Biology
Charbel RIZK,
Founder CEO
Oculi Inc.

Roman Genov, University of Toronto
Fast Field-Programmable Coded Image Sensors for Versatile Low-Cost Computational Imaging Presented through the Chalk Talks series of the Institute for Neural Computation (UC San Diego)
08/05/22

2023 International Image Sensor Workshop (IISW): Final Call for Papers Available

The final call for papers for 2023 IISW is now available: https://imagesensors.org/2023-international-image-sensor-workshop/

To submit an abstract, please go to: https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/IISW2023

The deadline for abstract submission is 11:59pm, Friday December 9th, 2022 (GMT).

The 2023 International Image Sensor Workshop (IISW) provides a biennial opportunity to present innovative work in the area of solid-state image sensors and share new results with the image sensor community. Now in its 35th year, the workshop will return to an in-person format. The event is intended for image sensor technologists; in order to encourage attendee interaction and a shared experience, attendance is limited, with strong acceptance preference given to workshop presenters. As is the tradition, the 2023 workshop will emphasize an open exchange of information among participants in an informal, secluded setting beside the Scottish town of Crieff.

The scope of the workshop includes all aspects of electronic image sensor design and development. In addition to regular oral and poster papers, the workshop will include invited talks and announcement of International Image Sensors Society award winners.
 

Nature paper on an aberration correcting "meta-image" sensor

A new paper in Nature titled "An integrated imaging sensor for aberration-corrected 3D photography" by Wu et al. from Tsinghua University presents a new meta-optics based aberration correcting image sensor. They also show several applications such as optical flow and depth imaging in addition to atmospheric aberration correction.

The full paper is open access: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05306-8

Abstract: Planar digital image sensors facilitate broad applications in a wide range of areas and the number of pixels has scaled up rapidly in recent years. However, the practical performance of imaging systems is fundamentally limited by spatially nonuniform optical aberrations originating from imperfect lenses or environmental disturbances. Here we propose an integrated scanning light-field imaging sensor, termed a meta-imaging sensor, to achieve high-speed aberration-corrected three-dimensional photography for universal applications without additional hardware modifications. Instead of directly detecting a two-dimensional intensity projection, the meta-imaging sensor captures extra-fine four-dimensional light-field distributions through a vibrating coded microlens array, enabling flexible and precise synthesis of complex-field-modulated images in post-processing. Using the sensor, we achieve high-performance photography up to a gigapixel with a single spherical lens without a data prior, leading to orders-of-magnitude reductions in system capacity and costs for optical imaging. Even in the presence of dynamic atmosphere turbulence, the meta-imaging sensor enables multisite aberration correction across 1,000 arcseconds on an 80-centimetre ground-based telescope without reducing the acquisition speed, paving the way for high-resolution synoptic sky surveys. Moreover, high-density accurate depth maps can be retrieved simultaneously, facilitating diverse applications from autonomous driving to industrial inspections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yole publishes a market report for X-ray detectors

https://www.yolegroup.com/product/report/x-ray-imaging/

 

Market dynamics in digital X-ray imaging have been impacted by the Covid crisis, the current geopolitical context and new environmental policies. The Covid crisis upset demand in medical systems in 2020 and 2021. Healthcare facilities prioritized their budgets to fight Covid, boosting static radiography and computed tomography (CT). Many surgeries, mammographies or dental diagnoses have been delayed, slowing demand in these segments by about a year. The medical business eventually returned to its pre-Covid dynamic and is expected to grow from $1,780M in 2021 to $2,128M in 2027 at the detector level. The security business suffered in 2020 and 2021, with airport shutdowns and borders closing. But now the recovery of air transportation and the tense geopolitical context with the Ukraine-Russia war is driving demand in this segment. Security is expected to go from $50M in 2021 to $57M in 2027. Industry also suffered from a global economic downturn due to Covid. However, car electrification is now a good driver for X-ray inspection, which is used in electronics and battery production lines and storage to detect defects. As a result, the segment will grow from $210M in 2021 to $263M in 2027.

 

 Key Features

•  Market data on key X-ray detector technologies including flat panel aSi, aSe, IGZO or CMOS, CT detectors and linear sensors over medical, industry, security, and veterinary markets. Historical data are displayed from 2018 to 2021 before forecasting the market up to 2027
•  Comprehensive analysis of the market trends in the different market segments
•  Understanding of how health and political crises affect the X-ray imaging market
•  Market share for flat panel detectors, in value
•  Comprehensive description of the supply chain from system integrators to semiconductor fabs. Highlights of the main changes since the last update of the report
•  Comprehensive description of technologies including roadmap on photon-counting technology. Analysis of the penetration of IGZO in flat panels

What's new

•  The covid crisis upset demand in 2020/2021. Combined with conflicts and trade wars, it forced many players to build new supply chains
•  Commercialization of the first photon-counting CT scanner by Siemens Healthineers
•  The biggest CT scan system makers made acquisitions to ensure internal capacity of manufacturing photon-counting detectors
•  Car electrification is pulling demand for X-ray inspection in electronics and battery production lines

Product objectives

•  Provide an overview of the digital X-ray imaging industry with a focus on detector components including the different types technologies
•  Provide an understanding of the main trends in the different segments of digital X-ray imaging with forecast on the market value and associated shipment volumes
•  Give supply chain insights describing the different levels of integration and the players composing the ecosystem. Providing data of market share for the different types of X-ray detectors
•  Offering technology understanding about the main innovations with associated challenges and roadmaps

Ouster and Velodyne Merger

In recent news on consolidation in the LiDAR market, Ouster and Velodyne have announced a merger deal.

Ouster makes "digital" LiDAR sensors based on single photon avalanche diode technology whereas Velodyne is known for their more "traditional" avalanche photodiode based spinning LiDARs.

https://investors.ouster.com/news/news-details/2022/Ouster-and-Velodyne-Announce-Proposed-Merger-of-Equals-to-Accelerate-Lidar-Adoption/default.aspx

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Ouster (NYSE: OUST), a leading provider of high-resolution digital lidar, and Velodyne (NASDAQ: VLDR, VLDRW), a leading global player in lidar sensors and solutions, announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge in an all-stock transaction. The proposed merger is expected to drive significant value creation and result in a strong financial position through robust product offerings, increased operational efficiencies, ​​and a complementary customer base in fast-growing end-markets. Ouster and Velodyne will host a joint webcast on November 7, 2022 at 8:30 AM ET to discuss the planned merger.

Key Strengths of the Combined Company:

• Operational synergies across engineering, manufacturing, and general administration support an optimized cost-structure
• Robust product offerings, including verticalized software, to serve a broad set of customers
• Complementary customer base, partners, and distribution channels, coupled with reduced product costs and an innovative roadmap, to accelerate lidar adoption across fast-growing end markets
• Extensive intellectual property portfolio with 173 granted and 504 pending patents, backed by over 20 years of combined experience in lidar technology innovation
• World-class leadership team to be led by Dr. Ted Tewksbury as Executive Chairman of the Board and Angus Pacala as Chief Executive Officer
• Strong financial position with combined cash balance1 of approximately $355 million as of September 30, 2022
• Compared to stand-alone cost structures as of September 30, 2022, annualized operating expenditure synergies of at least $75 million expected to be realized within 9 months after transaction-close

 “Ouster’s cutting-edge digital lidar technology, evidenced by strong unit economics and the performance gains of our new products, complemented by Velodyne’s decades of innovation, high-performance hardware and software solutions, and established global customer footprint, positions the combined company to accelerate the adoption of lidar technology across fast-growing markets with a diverse set of customer needs,” said Ouster CEO Angus Pacala. “Together, we will aim to deliver the performance customers demand while achieving price points low enough to promote mass adoption.”
 

“Lidar is a valuable enabling technology for autonomy, with the ability to dramatically improve the efficiency, productivity, safety, and sustainability of a world in motion. We aim to create a vibrant and healthy lidar industry by offering both affordable, high-performance sensors to drive mass adoption across a wide variety of customer applications, and by creating scale to drive profitable and sustainable revenue growth,” said Velodyne CEO Dr. Ted Tewksbury. “The combination of Ouster and Velodyne is expected to unlock enormous synergies, creating a company with the scale and resources to deliver stronger solutions for customers and society, while accelerating time to profitability and enhancing value for shareholders.”

The combined company will offer a robust suite of products to continue to serve a diverse set of end-markets and customers while executing on an innovative product roadmap to meet the future needs of the market. A unified engineering team, compelling product roadmap, and focused customer success team will aim to provide best-in-class support to customers to deliver affordable and more performant sensors. Further, management plans to streamline operating expenditures to build an overall cost structure that is in line with the projected revenue growth of the combined company. ​​Ouster and Velodyne had a combined cash balance of approximately $355 million as of September 30, 2022, and aim to realize annualized cost savings of at least $75 million within 9 months after closing the proposed merger. With an expanded global commercial footprint and distribution network, the combined company expects to deliver increased volumes, reduce product costs, and drive sustainable growth.

Leadership and Governance
The combined company will be led by Angus Pacala, who will serve as Chief Executive Officer, and Dr. Ted Tewksbury, who will serve as Executive Chairman of the Board. The Board will be comprised of eight members, with each company appointing an equal number of members. The full Board and executive team will be announced at a later date.
 

Transaction Details
The merger agreement was signed on November 4, 2022. Under the terms of the agreement, each Velodyne share will be exchanged for 0.8204 shares of Ouster at closing. The transaction will result in existing Velodyne and Ouster shareholders each owning approximately 50% of the combined company, based on current shares outstanding.

The merger transactions are subject to customary closing conditions including shareholder approval by both companies. Both companies will continue to operate their businesses independently until the close of the merger transactions. The merger transactions are expected to be completed in the first half of 2023.

Barclays is serving as financial advisor and Latham & Watkins LLP is serving as legal advisor to Ouster. BofA Securities, Inc. is serving as financial advisor and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as legal advisor to Velodyne.

Ouster and Velodyne will each file the full text of the merger agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission with a Form 8-K within four business days of the date of this release. Investors and security holders of each company are advised to review these filings for the full terms of the proposed combination, as well as any future filings made by the companies, including the Form S-4 Registration Statement to be filed by Ouster and related Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus included therein. See below under “Additional Information and Where to Find It”.
 

Joint Webcast Information
Ouster and Velodyne will host a joint webcast on November 7, 2022 at 8:30 AM ET to discuss the proposed merger.
Investors and analysts can register for the webcast by visiting the following website: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4007460/9C27A5975C89846F7B386331F4D80C90. The webcast will be available as a replay for one year on Ouster’s investor website at https://investors.ouster.com and on Velodyne’s investor website at https://investors.velodynelidar.com.

Edge Impulse and ConservationX Labs Camera for Ecology and Conservation

Edge Impulse and Conservation X Labs are teaming up to bring an AI-enabled camera for ecology and wildlife monitoring applications.

https://twitter.com/conservationx/status/1575166560922374144?s=20&t=Nk5lOX69MhcpALGRcMMyHg

Conservation X Labs currently offers a solution called "Sentinel" for AI-on-the-edge using field-deployed cameras and microphones. https://sentinel.conservationxlabs.com/ 

Pixelplus automotive CMOS image sensor

From THEELEC news: https://www.thelec.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=4249

South Korean fabless chip firm Pixelplus will show of engineering samples of its automotive CMOS image sensor to customers during the first quarter.

The new product, called PK5130KA, will begin mass production during the second half of 2023 and contribute to the company’s revenue in 2024, Pixelplus said.

It will the company’s first chip that will be supplied directly to tier-1 suppliers of automobile firms.

Pixelplus had previously supplied such chips through automotive solution firms at a lower price.

Supplying directly to tier-1 suppliers __ called before-market in the industry __ is more difficult due to the harder requirements that they must meet.

Tier-1 suppliers require such chips to meet AEC-Q100 and ISO26262 standards, the global reliability and safety standards.

ISO has ratings from A to D with D being the highest standard. Image sensors require the B grade.

PK5120KA meets these standards, according to Pixelplus. The company is planning to receive the ISO26262 certificate next year.

Pixelplus believes it has a market share of around 5% as of last year in the automotive CMOS image sensor sector.

ONSemiconductor, Sony and Omnivision are the leaders in the market. 

Ge-on-Si Image Sensor with NIR Sensitivity

In a recent preprint (https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/2209/2209.14242.pdf) Ponizovskaya-Devine et al. describe a new Ge-on-Si image sensor with enhanced sensitivity up to 1.7um for NIR applications.

Abstract

We present a Germanium “Ge-on-Si” CMOS image sensor with backside illumination for the near-infrared (NIR) electromagnetic waves (wavelength range 300–1700 nm) detection essential for optical sensor technology. The micro-holes help to enhance the optical efficiency and extend the range to the 1.7 µm wavelength. We demonstrate an optimization for the width and depth of the nano-holes for maximal absorption in the near infrared. We show a reduction in the cross-talk by employing thin SiO2 deep trench isolation in between the pixels. Finally, we show a 26–50% reduction in the device capacitance with the introduction of a hole. Such CMOS-compatible Ge-onSi sensors will enable high-density, ultra-fast and efficient NIR imaging.