A light-to-frequency converter Photo IC.
The Hamamatsu SiAPD( Silicon avalanche photodiode) S10341 series.
many advantages, such as low weight of the fibers compared to copper cables and high quality audio and video signals, as no external electromagnetic noise can interfere with optical signals.
AI: Similarly, how do Hamamatsu’ s products help in creating ADAS advanced driver assistance solutions?
Eggl: Optical semiconductors are the driving technology for many of the electronic systems in the car which provide comfort and protect the occupants and other road users. An example is Photo-ICs, which measure the ambient light to adjust display brightness, control the headlights automatically or dim the rearview mirror. Photodiode or avalanche photodiode arrays measure reflected laser light to determine the distance to the vehicle in front, to keep a constant suitable gap, or to do emergency braking in the city in case of dangerous situations. Plastic optical fibers are used to protect against pinching in windows, doors or the trunk lid, or to detect a potential pedestrian accident and activate suitable protection mechanisms. Hamamatsu Photonics’ reliable, high quality optical sensors and LEDs are the core of many such innovative systems which provide comfort, safety and also environmental improvements in todays’ and future cars.
AI: What makes Hamamatsu’ s Fiber Optical Transceiver FOT solutions better than others?
Eggl: Our experience and close customer contact put us in the good position to always be one step ahead in technology. Our FOTs in Sidelooker( through-hole-mount) technology are reflow solderable in standard automated production process due to a unique resin material. As this was an important request from our customers we developed an outstanding high quality resin.
The other version of our FOT has a reflow solderable SMD package, with a box-shaped metal part on top. This holds the fiber ferrules safe, while at the same time also protects the unit from particles and external noise. It also enables easy automated handling by pick-and-place machines. A special feature is that the FOTs survive up to 105 ° C operating temperature, which is important on boards with other components that generate high
Photonic applications developed by Hamamatsu.
heat. Besides these technical points, we support our customers to implement the FOTs in their application, and also work closely with the standardization group for the network.
AI: Tell us a little about your collaboration with MOST Co for Gigabit networks – how will this translate into breakthrough technologies for the auto sector?
Eggl: Safety is one of the main topics for the auto sector. The European Union funded many research projects, promoted the EURO NCAP rating and set goals as to reduce fatalities in traffic accidents. One improvement action is for several cameras to be included, as standard, in a car in the near future. They will look in all directions and support functions such as pedestrian protection, traffic sign recognition, lane keeping, blind spot detection, and so on. Together with the MOST Cooperation, we are working on an optical Gigabit network that can transmit a huge amount of uncompressed data to the control unit, which has to activate the necessary warning or protection systems.
AI: How would you describe Hamamatsu’ s automotive identity?
Eggl: We started to deliver the first sun sensors for automatic cooling systems in cars over 30 years ago. Since then we developed and delivered high quality optical semiconductors for many automotive applications, to many different customers. Millions of cars on the road have Hamamatsu technology inside. The automotive market is as much part of our identity as medical and biomedical applications, analytical and industrial customers, university research and high-energy physics projects.
AI: How important is the automotive sector in terms of your overall business. How do you see this segment growing and why?
Eggl: With our broad product range, we serve many different markets and applications, the automotive sector being one of them. As the use of electronic and optoelectronic components in vehicles is continuously increasing, this market segment is growing rapidly. AI
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