SiLC Launches First FMCW LiDAR Sensor

Harvesting the additional information that is carried by photons, the Eyeonic Vision Sensor is a first-of-its-kind Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) LiDAR transceiver. The company says the chip represents “decades of silicon photonics innovation” and is the “only readily-integratable solution” for manufacturers building the next generation of autonomous vehicles, security solutions and industrial robots.

“Eyeonic will be transformational to many industries across the globe by enabling the anticipated mass migration to coherent imaging”, explained Mehdi Asghari, founder and CEO, SiLC. “Our unique technology and innovative manufacturing process puts SiLC in the optimal position to provide the key building blocks needed for this next wave of significant innovation – at a competitive price”.

SiLC intends to make this technology available to all system integrators and end-users, starting with enabling early access to strategic partners in autonomy, security and industrial applications. Offered in two configurations, fibre and fibreless, Eyeonic believes that it addresses the current roadblocks facing industries that rely upon vision sensors to embrace burgeoning market opportunities.

Fibreless vision sensors have long been sought after as they enable the lowest cost in a compact configuration. The fibre pigtailed Eyeonic allows for design flexibility by supporting configurations where the FMCW LiDAR transceiver and scanning unit are at different locations.

To facilitate customer development efforts, SiLC offers reference designs and a range of key components needed to develop a full solution. Examples of fully configured systems, based on the Eyeonic platform, will be made available as prototypes to enable rapid evaluation by customers and end-users.