LASER-ILLUMINATED SHORTWAVE INFRARED IMAGING SYSTEM

Coherent Corp. (NYSE: COHR), a leader in semiconductor lasers, and TriEye Ltd., a pioneer in mass-market shortwave infrared (SWIR) sensing technology, today announced their successful joint demonstration of a laser-illuminated SWIR imaging system for automotive and robotic applications.

The growing number of use cases for SWIR imaging, which expands vision in automotive and robotics beyond the visible spectrum, is driving demand for low-cost mass-market SWIR cameras. The companies leveraged TriEye’s spectrum enhanced detection and ranging (SEDAR) product platform and Coherent’s SWIR semiconductor laser to jointly design a laser-illuminated SWIR imaging system, the first of its kind that is able to reach lower cost points while achieving very high performance over a wide range of environmental conditions. The combination of these attributes is expected to enable wide deployment in applications such as front and rear cameras in cars as well as vision systems in industrial and autonomous robots.

“This new solution combines best-in-class SWIR imaging and laser illumination technologies that will enable next-generation cameras to provide images through rain or fog, and in any lighting condition, from broad daylight to total darkness at night,” said Dr. Sanjai Parthasarathi, Chief Marketing Officer at Coherent Corp. “Both technologies are produced leveraging high-volume manufacturing platforms that will enable them to achieve the economies of scale required to penetrate markets in automotive and robotics.”

“We are happy to collaborate with a global leader in semiconductor lasers and to establish an ecosystem that the automotive and industrial robotics industries can rely on to build next-generation solutions,” said Avi Bakal, CEO and co-founder of TriEye. “This is the next step in the evolution of our technology innovation, which will enable mass-market applications. Our collaboration will allow us to continue revolutionizing sensing capabilities and machine vision by allowing the incorporation of SWIR technology into a greater number of emerging applications.”

The SEDAR product platform integrates TriEye’s next-generation CMOS-based SWIR sensor and illumination source with Coherent’s 1375 nm edge-emitting laser on surface-mount technology (SMT). The laser-illuminated imaging systems will enable the next generation of automotive cameras that can provide images through inclement weather. They will also enable autonomous robots to operate around the clock in any lighting conditions and move seamlessly between indoor and outdoor environments.

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