Innoscience Technology has reportedly recently introduced two new 100V automotive-grade gallium nitride (GaN) devices designed specifically for automotive LiDAR applications. The INN100W135A-Q (RDS(on), max = 13.5 mΩ) and the more compact INN100W800A-Q (RDS(on), max = 80 mΩ) are AEC-Q101 qualified and optimized for lidar, high power density DC-DC converters, and Class D audio applications in the automotive industry.
The devices are available in WLCSP packages measuring 2.13mm x 1.63mm and 0.9mm x 0.9mm, respectively, providing significant size and power efficiency advantages.
LiDAR technology calculates the distance between an object and a detector by emitting a laser pulse and measuring the time difference between its reflection and back. This process is similar to radar technology, but radar uses radio waves, while LiDAR uses light waves (lasers) for detection. Lidar has the characteristics of high resolution and high accuracy, is suitable for environmental perception and 3D modeling, and can also provide remote sensing capabilities, which is essential for autonomous vehicles to obtain 3D spatial information of the surrounding environment in real time. In addition, lidar can also provide high-precision target detection and distance measurement, helping autonomous vehicles make accurate decisions and avoid obstacles. LiDAR is widely used in automotive and non-automotive industries, such as robotics, smart cities, and V2X. Among the many application scenarios of lidar, robot applications currently occupy the largest share of the overall market, accounting for 68.2% of the market in 2022, and intelligent driving vehicles and other applications account for 28.7% and 3.1%.
Figure: Innoscience Launches 100V Automotive-Grade GaN Devices (Photo: Powerelectronic)
According to the "2024-2029 China LiDAR Industry Market Prospect Forecast and Future Development Trend Report" released by the China Business Industry Research Institute, the global LiDAR solution market size will be 12 billion yuan in 2022, with an average annual compound growth rate of 63% in the past five years. The global lidar solution market is expected to reach RMB 22.7 billion in 2023 and RMB 51.2 billion in 2024. Today's challenges in lidar technology include improved resolution and accuracy, which requires higher performance laser transmitters and receivers, more sophisticated scanning mechanisms, and more advanced signal processing algorithms. At the same time, the enhancement of anti-interference capability is also the key to technological improvement.
It is reported that the two 100V automotive-grade GaN devices are designed for the needs of L2+/L3 assisted driving systems, with switching rates up to 13 times that of silicon-based solutions and pulse widths reduced to one-fifth. The 1.5 to 3 times improvement of Qg and Qoss over their silicon-based counterparts enables mid- to long-range recognition from 200 to 300 meters, which is critical for enhanced driver assistance and autonomous driving applications.
According to Innoscience, the devices are designed to meet the growing demand for efficiency and precision in driver assistance and autonomous driving technologies. GaN devices are rapidly replacing traditional silicon in critical automotive applications due to improved performance. In LiDAR applications, GaN is recognized for its ability to minimize power loss and heat gain while improving resolution and detection range, offering advantages over traditional silicon technologies. These automotive-grade GaN products are currently in mass production and are processing bulk orders to meet market demand.
