ams announced the launch of MERANO-Photodiode (PD), an in-frared (IR) laser flood illuminator module which provides the uniform light output needed in mobile 3D sensing applications such as user face recognition.

By introducing a VCSEL-based flood illuminator in a slim package, ams aims to ehance the adoption of 3D sensing applications in mainstream mobile phones. Its 2W Merano-PD is suitable for use in the latest technologies for 3D sensing, including ToF and structured light methods. Applications such as face recognition, augmented reality, 3D object scanning and 3D image rendering, as well as other industrial and automotive applications, will benefit from use of the Merano-PD.

(image: ams)

Benefiting from optimized thermal design, the 2W-Merano-PD module has a footprint of 2.4mm x 3.3mm and just 1.2mm high. It is small enough to be integrated easily into a mobile phone’s design for either front- or world-facing applications.
In a mobile optical sensing system operating on the ToF principle, the MERANO-PD emits pulsed bursts of invisible IR light. A separate IR light detector senses the sequence of re-flections from objects in the field of illumination and renders them as a 3D depth map or scan. The MERANO-PD may also be used in dot-pattern recognition (structured light) systems for 3D sensing, for flood illumination in IR cameras and for industrial 3D sensors and scanners.

The high and consistent quality of the beam produced by the MERANO-PD’s VCSEL emitter makes it easy to integrate into 3D sensing systems with minimal calibration. The module, which benefits from ams’ deep optical expertise and its full control of the entire design, manufacturing and testing process, offers excellent uniformity of optical power distribution in the far field. The 940nm IR output, as well as the illumination pattern, is controlled in the pre-defined field of illumination for best system efficiency.