Technology, Process and Cost
Velodyne Short and Long Range Lidar with VCSEL and EEL
By Yole SystemPlus —
A detailed physical and cost analysis of the long-range EEL lidar and the short-range VCSEL illumination module in the automotive Velarray H800
SPR23728
Key Features
- Detailed photos
- Cross-sectional analysis
- Delayering analysis
- Precise measurements
- Chemistry and materials determination from Energy Dispersive X-ray
- Manufacturing process flows
- Supply chain evaluation
- Manufacturing cost analysis
- Edge-Emitting Laser (EEL) Micro Lidar Array and the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) module
What's new
- The Micro Lidar Array, a solid-state lidar with EEL lasers and photodiodes in the same substrate
- New MEMS beamsplitter
- Two different illumination modules, one for long-range with an EEL and one with a VCSEL for the short range
- The first lidar with two illumination modules
- VCSEL with five junctions stacked to obtain high peak power
Highly- and fully-automated driving will very soon become reality. Driven by lower production costs and the emergence of new technologies, lidar is becoming a key component of these autonomous cars.
The Velarray H800 was developed by Velodyne, one of the leaders of the lidar market. It is a 3D laser scanner capable of identifying objects and measuring the distance in any environment.
An oscillating mirror deflects the beam emitted by eight high-power laser diodes through an emitting lens and receives the returned echoes through a condenser lens. The echoes are then captured by eight avalanche photodiode dies. The measurement of the travel time, or time-of-flight, of this pulse determines the distance to the obstacle. Edge Emitting Lasers (EELs), photodiodes and optical elements are assembled on the same substrate to form a Micro-Lidar Array (MLA), and a solid-state lidar.
Beyond the EELs for the far field measurement, Velodyne has added near field range illumination based on Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs). The same eight photodiodes are used to detect the echo from the EELs and from the VCSELs. To obtain a high-power light for the near field, Velodyne selected the new five-junction VCSEL dies from Vixar.
This report conducts a detailed physical analysis, including teardown, cross-sectional analysis, circuit delayering, and scanning electron microscopy. This approach determines the component structures and estimates the manufacturing processes used to make the EEL, photodiode, GaN driver chip, MLA module, the VCSEL and the diffractive optical element of the near field range illumination module, as well as those used to assemble the module. This information combined with supply chain analysis allows us to calculate the costs of each production step and estimate the final selling price of the module.
- Velodyne
- Ouster
- OSRAM
- Ams
- Vixar
- Excelitas
- EPC
Overview / Introduction
- Executive Summary
- Reverse Costing Methodology
- dToF Proximity Sensing
- Automotive Lidar Applications
- Glossary
Company Profile
Physical Analysis
- Summary of the Physical Analysis
- Velarray H800 Teardown
- Module & Optics
- Teardown
- Module Cross Section
- Lenses and Beamsplitter
- EPC2715
- Photodiode
- Overview
- Cross Section
- Process Summary
- Edge-Emitting Laser Die
- Overview
- Cross Section
- Process Summary
- VCSEL Module
- Teardown
- Overview
- DOE
- VCSEL
- Process Summary
Manufacturing Process Flow
- GaN Driver IC Fabrication Unit
- GaN Driver IC Front-End and Back-End Processes
- Edge-Emitting Laser Fabrication Unit
- Edge-Emitting Laser Front-End & Back-End Processes
- Photodiode Front-End & Back-End Processes
- Package Assembly Processes
- Final Test & Dicing
- VCSEL Laser Fabrication Unit
- VCSEL Laser Front-End & Back-End Processes
- DOE Fabrication Unit & Front-End & Back-End Processes
Cost Analysis
- EEL Main Steps of the Economic Analysis
- EEL Yields Explanation and Hypotheses
- VCSEL Main Steps of the Economic Analysis
- VCSEL Yields Explanation and Hypotheses
- Driver IC
- Driver IC Circuit Front-End Costs
- Driver IC Back-End Costs
- Driver IC Die Costs
- Edge-Emitting Laser
- Edge-Emitting Laser Epitaxy Costs
- Edge-Emitting Laser Front-End Costs
- Edge-Emitting Laser Back-End Costs
- Edge-Emitting Laser Die Cost
- Photodiode
- Photodiode Front-End Costs
- Photodiode Back-End Costs
- Photodiode Die Cost
- Module Package Manufacturing
- Completed Module Cost and Breakdown
- VCSEL Laser
- VCSEL Laser Epitaxy Costs
- VCSEL Laser Front-End Costs
- VCSEL Laser Back-End Costs
- VCSEL Laser Die Cost
- DOE
- DOE Front-End Costs
- DOE Back-End Costs
- DOE Die Cost
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