The VIZTA project aims to capitalize on and to further develop innovative technologies in the field of optical sensors and sources for short, medium and long-range 3D sensing and to demonstrate their value in 6 key applications.
The key differentiating technologies developed within VIZTA are:
• innovative Silicon single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) technology based on a dedicated 12-inch process and intended for direct Time-of-Flight optical sensors;
• pioneering lock-in pixel technology based on an advanced 12-inch CMOS process and intended for indirect Time-of-Flight optical sensors;
• ground-breaking and cost-effective 12-inch wafer level optics including the development of NIR bandpass thin-film filters, no angle-shift NIR bandpass filters, RGB+Z on-chip filtering.
• complex RGB+Z pixel architectures for multimodal 2D/3D imaging.
• New Hybrid Bonding (wafer stacking) solutions and inspection techniques
For short-range depth map applications, multi-channel VCSEL sources, including wafer-level GaAs optics and associated high-speed driver, will be developed and validated within this project.
For medium and long range automotive LiDARs, VIZTA supports the development of:
• high performance laser sources for medium and long range,
• full solid-state laser beam steering with optical-phased-array for medium range, MEMS micromirrors for long range,
• cost-effective InGaAs photodiodes for long range LiDAR detector.
The developed differentiating technologies serve as a basis for the design of innovative 3D imaging sensors products with the following porotypes demonstrators:
• high resolution Time-of-Flight ranging sensor module with integrated VCSEL, drivers, filters and optics;
• very High resolution (VGA+) depth camera sensor with integrated filters and optics.
The following markets will be directly addressed during VIZTA through 6 applications demonstrators:
• automotive in-cabin with two leading end-users, IEE that benefit from DFKI skills in artificial intelligence, Ficomirrors that will focus on driver monitoring,
• smart building, also targeted by IEE,
• security, with Idemia OEM collaborating with CEA-List that will bring its expertise in neural networks,
• automotive medium-range LiDAR, led by Ibeo with a strong partnership with ST, III-V Lab and CEA-Leti,
• automotive long-range LiDAR, pursued by Veoneer with the support of component integrators (Lumibird, Keopsys Industries and Beamagine) and Polytechnic University of Catalonia,
• industry 4.0 with a demonstrator developed in collaboration between two SMEs, Integrated Systems Development and BCB Informatica, with the support of the Institute of Electronics and Computer Science in Latvia,
• mobile robotics for smart cities, with Eurecat Technology Centre that bring its expertise in robotics.
