Indium phosphide industry moving into consumer applications

Ali Jaffal, Ph.D., Technology & Market Analyst specialized in Compound Semiconductors and Emerging Substrates at Yole Intelligence, part of Yole Group, outlines how the indium phosphide market is evolving, including challenging gallium arsenide in an article written for SEMICONDUCTOR TODAY.

According to our latest InP analysis , a global increase in the indium phosphide (InP) photonics market from US$2.5bn in 2021 to more than US$5.6bn in 2027 is forecast, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14%. Originally developed for solar cells in the 1960s, InP is garnering considerable interest for fiber communications and wireless equipment. Its multi-functional role as a light source, modulator, amplifier and detector at 13xx- and 15xx-nanometer wavelengths makes it the primary material for the fabrication of current and future optical devices in telecom and datacom. With the need for higher transmission data rates and longer communication distances generated by the explosion of social networks, cloud computing and IoT, the future of InP is well secured. In addition, this semiconductor compound is starting to make eyes at several evolving consumer and automotive applications. This could elevate it from its niche market and propel it to a prominent position.

With the capacity to emit and detect at wavelengths above 1000nm, InP has been considered a key technology in datacom and telecom applications for over 30 years. In perfect accordance with the optimum operating range for fiber-optic transmission (13xx & 15xx nm), InP is mainly used for high-power and high-frequency optoelectronic devices such as lasers and photodetectors. Its outstanding structural and electronic properties — high electron mobility, low dielectric constant, and direct bandgap — leave little room for other semiconductors to support the exploding demand for higher data rates and increased range. Technological development efforts tend to focus on optical transceivers that will deliver 100Gb/s, 400Gb/s, 800Gb/s and even 1.6Tb/s data rates, for which InP is the best option. The use of emerging coherent transmission technology to carry considerably more information through a fiber-optic cable will mean moving to integrated photonic solutions where InP photonic integrated circuits (PICs) also have a role to play.

Beyond the telecom and datacom markets, the consumer industry also seems interested in InP solutions. The first submarket segment to mention is smartphone sensing. Integration of InP-based short-wave infrared (SWIR) sensors in late 2021 in Apple’s AirPods 3 paved the way for the penetration of InP for under-display 3D sensing in smartphones. Apple’s iPhone roadmap confirms the committed development to enlarge the screen to the total size of the phone, reducing the current notch (for imaging, proximity sensor, flood illuminator, and dot projector functionalities) first to a smaller pill-shaped hole and then to a tiny punch-hole…

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Source: SEMICONDUCTOR TODAY