Demand for 3D sensing and more mobile applications is driving the rapid development of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs)!
After the data communication, VCSEL companies finally found the 'killer' application, the market broke out soon.
Since the introduction of the VCSEL concept by Kenichi Iga of Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan in 1977, VCSEL has made great progress in all aspects of research. VCSEL has been the core of Datacoms applications since its birth. Devices. Compared to edge-emitting lasers (EELs), VCSELs have the advantage of lower power consumption and competitive price, especially for short-range data communication. Driven by data center construction, VCSEL market and production in the early part of this century With the popularity of the Internet, it has flourished and then grown steadily. Although VCSEL is also looking for new applications, such as laser printers and optical mice, it is unable to provide a strong growth driver.
VCSEL and its package form
It wasn't until 2014 that VCSEL began to enter the high-volume consumer market, the smartphone, which achieved proximity sensing and autofocus, which heralded the successful start of VCSEL. In 2017, Apple released the 10th anniversary edition. Product: iPhone X, integrated with 3D sensing based on VCSEL technology. iPhone X smartphone uses three different VCSEL chips (3D camera for Face ID, proximity sensor), which has led to explosive growth in the VCSEL market. ——The overall market size of VCSEL in 2017 reached USD 330 million.
According to Mamms Consulting, good iPhone X sales have caused strong interest in 3D sensing capabilities of other Android (Android) smartphone brands. In less than a year after the release of iPhone X, competitors have begun to adopt similar The strategy of integrating various 3D sensing technologies and face recognition functions shows that the VCSEL 'killer' application is gaining market recognition! The speed of Xiaomi and OPPO is the fastest. In the second quarter of 2018, the Xiaomi 8 Discovery Edition and OPPO Find X two smart phones with integrated 3D sensing technology. Other Android smartphone manufacturers, such as Huawei, vivo and Samsung, are expected to use VCSEL for the flagship machine in 2019. In this context, the new one launched in 2017 The wave of VCSEL market growth will continue into the next five years, and related business opportunities may increase by more than ten times. At the same time, VCSEL also hopes to enter other batch applications such as automotive laser radar (LiDAR) and gas sensors.
These trends have led to a large number of investment behaviors in the VCSEL field, such as the establishment of new factories in established companies, the emergence of start-ups, investment and mergers and acquisitions continue to be hot... This report details the VCSEL technology and applications, as well as the development of related industries, focusing on consumer electronics and Automotive electronics conducts in-depth research, including 3D sensing, lidar and gas sensors.
VCSELs vary from application to application, and 6-inch wafer fabrication processes face challenges
The performance and specifications of VCSEL products vary from application to application, mainly in terms of size, output power and laser cavity. For data communication and proximity sensing applications, the surface area of a VCSEL chip or array can be less than 0.1 mm2; For lidar applications, the surface area can exceed 70 mm2. The VCSEL surface area increases with the required output power, and the complexity of the laser cavity and manufacturing process is also increasing.
VCSEL Product Specifications vs. Application Requirements
At present, the transition of VCSEL from the data communication era to the 3D sensing era may have a strong impact on the related manufacturing industry. VCSELs in the data communication industry often use 3-inch or 4-inch wafer fabrication processes, but the consumer electronics industry needs 6 The inch wafer fabrication process can achieve cost reduction and larger VCSEL arrays. This evolution has a direct impact on manufacturing yield, and the current 6-inch manufacturing process yield is still low. This is mainly related to epitaxial wafer fabrication. : 6-inch wafer epitaxy is currently the main challenge compared to 3-inch or 4-inch wafer epitaxy. Typically, a 1% difference in epitaxial layer thickness will result in a 10 nm wavelength deviation, and the epitaxial yield will affect the overall VCSEL. Manufacturing yield. Now, epitaxy is a key process that the VCSEL industry needs to solve. Metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and related metrology equipment are the core of investment!
Remarks: 'MOCVD Advantages and Disadvantages' Compared with other chemical vapor deposition technologies, MOCVD technology has many advantages: (1) The reactants required in the manufacturing process enter the reaction chamber in a gaseous manner, through high precision. The injection nozzle (Injector) can accurately control the film composition, concentration and thickness of the desired growth; (2) Rapid growth of the film by high-temperature chemical reaction; (3) Flexibility of different processes using different precursor materials The shortcomings of this technology are: (1) The raw materials of the precursor are expensive, and the production cost is increased; (2) The raw materials used in the precursors are mostly flammable or toxic, and the safety protection should be paid attention to during use. By-products must also be disposed of properly to avoid damage and environmental pollution.
This report provides a detailed analysis of the VCSEL manufacturing process, as well as related technical challenges, latest trends and major vendor positioning. It also introduces the main product specifications of VCSELs in different applications.
Unable to calm down, wave after wave of investment and mergers and acquisitions have begun...
VCSEL shipments are expected to grow from 652 million in 2017 to more than 3.3 billion in 2023, with a compound annual growth rate of 31% from 2017 to 2023. This booming trend attracts capital to all levels of the VCSEL industry. Investing, including chip design and manufacturing companies, equipment and materials suppliers, extensions and foundries, system integration and OEMs, etc. For example MOCVD equipment suppliers: Aixtron, Veeco and Dayang Taiyo Nippon Sanso, so it benefits!
Therefore, we believe that the VCSEL industry will see strong growth and investment, including several new entrants, of course, most of them from the LED industry. Since 2016, Memes Consulting has also reported some mergers and acquisitions, such as: Amers Semiconductors (AMS) acquired Princeton Optronics and Osram acquired Vixar. At the same time, companies' expansion of manufacturing facilities or supply chain enhancements are also underway.
Once the VCSEL market reaches its peak, more industry chain integration will occur to support different corporate strategies: - Vertical integration: from system to module, from module to device; - Application diversification: from data communication to sensing; Product Variety: From LED or EEL to VCSEL.