NeoPhotonics Samples High Power Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers and Narrow Linewidth Lasers for Coherent Lidar Transceivers

February 3, 2020

High Power SOAs and NLW-Lasers Improve Range and Sensitivity of Coherent Lidar Transceivers for Autonomous Vehicles

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–$NPTN #autonomousvehicles–NeoPhotonics Corporation (NYSE: NPTN), a leading designer and manufacturer of advanced hybrid photonic integrated circuit based modules and subsystems for bandwidth-intensive, high speed communications networks, today announced that it is sampling high power Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs) and Narrow Linewidth (NLW) Distributed Feedback Lasers (DFB) lasers for long range automotive Lidar applications.

NeoPhotonics SOAs and NLW lasers operate in eye-safe wavelength regions, and these offerings feature 1550nm wavelength SOAs with >24 dBm (>250mW) output power along with 1550nm NLW-DFB lasers that enable automotive Lidar systems to “see” considerably farther than 200 meters, thereby significantly enhancing safety.

Current Lidar systems for autonomous vehicles use expensive discrete optical components and employ direct detection measurement of the reflected light intensity, which limits range and sensitivity. Next generation Lidar systems will use “coherent” technology, which was pioneered by NeoPhotonics for communications networks, to greatly increase the range and sensitivity by measuring the phase of the reflected light. Coherent Lidar systems are fabricated using chip-scale manufacturing to reduce costs and enable high volume.

Chip scale manufacturing requires coherent Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) powered by low phase and intensity noise semiconductor lasers and high output power semiconductor optical amplifiers. Narrow linewidth and low phase noise lasers enable the precise phase measurements required by coherent detection and optical amplifiers to boost the optical signal power for long reach detection. When combined with coherent PIC receivers, high power SOA and NLW-DFB lasers enable coherent Lidar transceivers for high volume manufacturing.

“Our laser components are key elements for chip-scale Lidar systems that can be manufactured in high volumes,” said Tim Jenks, Chairman and CEO of NeoPhotonics. “Lidar architectures based on coherent technologies have the advantage of leveraging high volume, chip-scale technologies developed by NeoPhotonics for telecommunications and data center interconnect applications. Laser components are manufactured in our internal fabs and utilize our advanced hybrid photonic integration technology for high performance and high reliability, allowing system integrators to quickly leverage coherent technology and its established manufacturing supply-chain for Lidar applications,” continued Mr. Jenks.

About NeoPhotonics

NeoPhotonics is a leading designer and manufacturer of optoelectronic solutions for the highest speed communications networks in telecom and datacenter applications. The Company’s products enable cost-effective, high-speed data transmission and efficient allocation of bandwidth over communications networks. NeoPhotonics maintains headquarters in San Jose, California and ISO 9001:2015 certified engineering and manufacturing facilities in Silicon Valley (USA), Japan and China. For additional information visit www.neophotonics.com.

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This press release includes statements that qualify as forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including anticipated performance of NeoPhotonics’ products. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are only predictions based on the company’s current expectations, estimates and projections. The actual company results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the company’s results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements as well as other risks and uncertainties relating to the company’s business, are described more fully in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, as well as in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the three month periods ended March 31, 2019, June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2019, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.