Metaverse hardware is seen as the next "killer app" for the 3D optical sensor market, prompting compound semiconductor and optical sensor suppliers to team up to develop metaverse devices, according to industry sources.
As performance difference in metaverse devices will lead to starkly different user experiences, compound semiconductor makers and optical sensor suppliers are joining forces to develop related products and technologies with wider detection ranges and higher image resolutions, the sources said.
For instance, laser chips vendor II-VI has set up a strategic alliance with Artilux, a Taiwan-based specialist in GeSi photonic technology, to launch new technologies and solutions that can optimize the metaverse ecosystems.
In the alliance, II-VI will offer highly integrated SWIR (short-wave infrared) light emitting modules that contain InP edge-emitting laser chips packaged using SMT process, which boasts a high price-performance ratio, while Artilux will contribute a lineup of GeSi SWIR sensors targeting next-generation consumer devices including AR, VR and MR for metaverse applications.
As AR/VR applications are gaining momentum, SWIR light is becoming increasingly important as it can reduce external environmental interference and provide more material details, better contrast effect and improved eye protection, the sources said. This will spur a stable shift from GaAs to InP as a light source, they added.
In fact, head-mounted devices or future AR glasses have great potential for development and may become another killer application after smartphones, the sources indicated.
Article translated by Willis Ke