Metalenz and STMicroelectronics deliver world's first optical metasurface technology for consumer electronics devices
June 09 2022 - 9:00AM
Metalenz and
STMicroelectronics deliver world's first
optical metasurface technology
for consumer electronics devices
Metalenz metasurfaces are now on the market
through its partnership with STMicroelectronics, marking the
introduction of this revolutionary optical technology in real-world
devices
Boston, MA and Geneva, Switzerland
– June 9, 2022 –
Metalenz, the first company to commercialize meta-optics, and
STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader
serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications,
today announce that ST’s currently released VL53L8 direct
Time-of-Flight (dToF) sensor is the highly anticipated market debut
of the meta-optics devices developed through their partnership,
which was disclosed in June 2021.
Metalenz’s Harvard-born, meta-optics technology can replace
existing complex and multi-element lenses and provide additional
functionality with a single meta-optic embedded in time-of-flight
(ToF) modules from ST, the leading company in supplying 3D sensing
modules. The introduction of Metalenz technology in these modules
brings performance, power, size, and cost advantages to a multitude
of consumer, automotive, and industrial applications. This marks
the first time metasurface technology is commercially available and
being used in consumer devices.
Unlike traditional molded and curved lenses, Metalenz’s novel
optics are completely planar. Planar metasurface optics are now
being manufactured on silicon wafers alongside electronics in ST’s
semiconductor front-end fabs for the first time. The meta-optics
collect more light, provide multiple functions in a single layer,
and enable new forms of sensing in smartphones and other devices,
while taking up less space. Metalenz’s flat-lens technology
replaces certain existing optics in ST’s
FlightSense™ ToF modules, which serve applications
such as smartphones, drones, robots, and vehicles. In these, ST has
sold more than 1.7 billion units to date.
“More than a decade of foundational research has brought us to
this point. Market deployment of our meta-optics makes this the
first metasurface technology to become commercially available,”
said Rob Devlin, co-founder and CEO of Metalenz. “ST’s technology,
manufacturing expertise, and global reach allow us to impact
millions of consumers. We have multiple wins that mark the first
application of our platform technology and we are now designing
entire systems around its unique functionality. Our meta-optics
enable exciting new markets and new sensing capabilities in mobile
form factors and at a competitive price.”
ST is a leader and leading innovator in ToF sensing technology
that uses the speed of light to accurately calculate proximity. The
sensor precisely measures the time a photon, traveling at
299,792,458 meters/sec, takes to travel to and reflect back from a
surface. From its first ToF sensor, ST and its technology have
helped revolutionize autofocus in smartphone cameras and, with
presence detection and gesture recognition, improve security and
power efficiency in mobile and computing applications.
Perfectly complementing ST’s advanced manufacturing capabilities
and ToF technology, the introduction of products embedding
Metalenz’s game-changing metasurface optics now enables significant
power efficiency, optical performance, and module-size optimization
that all bring benefit across consumer, industrial, and automotive
markets,” said Eric Aussedat, Executive Vice President and General
Manager of ST’s Imaging Sub-Group. “Initially targeting
applications using near-infrared wavelengths, especially for 3D
sensing, the products we’re introducing with Metalenz are perfectly
suited for applications like face authentication, camera assist,
consumer LIDAR, and AR/VR, where depth mapping is needed.”
The partnership of Metalenz IP with ST Manufacturing Technology
brings the incredible accuracy and precision of electronics chip
industry to make very precise and repeatable meta-optics that
unlock this completely new way to make lenses that combine very
high quality and large-scale cost-effective manufacturing.
####
About MetalenzMetalenz,
founded in 2016, is the first company to commercialize meta-optics.
With exclusive worldwide license to the portfolio of foundational
intellectual property relating to metasurfaces developed in the
Capasso Lab at Harvard University, Metalenz has more than 20
patents on innovations that simplify and improve optical devices
across multiple markets. The company’s meta-surface technology
provides complex, multifunctional optical performance in a single
semiconductor layer, relocating large-scale production of optics to
semiconductor foundries—printing lenses like computer chips.
Metalenz launched out of stealth in 2021 with funding from leading
investors including 3M Ventures, Applied Ventures LLC, Intel
Capital, M Ventures, TDK Ventures, and Foothill Ventures. Now in
market, Metalenz optics will be in millions of consumer devices
this year. To partner with Metalenz and learn more about how
they’re revolutionizing optical sensing in consumer electronics and
beyond, visit: metalenz.com.
About STMicroelectronicsAt ST, we are 48,000
creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering the
semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing
facilities. An integrated device manufacturer, we work with more
than 200,000 customers and thousands of partners to design and
build products, solutions, and ecosystems that address their
challenges and opportunities, and the need to support a more
sustainable world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more
efficient power and energy management, and the wide-scale
deployment of the Internet of Things and connectivity. ST is
committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2027. Further information
can be found at www.st.com.
Press Contacts
MetalenzCarly GlovinskiMarketing
Managercarly.glovinski@metalenz.comSTMicroelectronicsMichael
MarkowitzDirector Technical Media RelationsTel: +1 781 591
0354michael.markowitz@st.com
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