Current VCSEL components are well suited for use in 3D sensing technology due to their beam angle and shape advantages, and low initial current and high bandwidth. Since the release of the iPhone X series by Apple in 2018, the topic of 3D sensing technology has continued to be continuous. Recently, the medium and high mobile phone terminal products are equipped with 3D sensing face recognition function, vehicle light application and optical fiber transmission system. The level of discussion of related technologies and component requirements remains undiminished.

In addition to the trend of 3D sensing face recognition applications driven by Apple mobile phones, the VCSEL components of GaAs substrates have been gradually extended to the field of automotive light, etc., trying to replace the original divergence by the light energy concentration, beam angle and shape characteristics of VCSEL components. LED light source.

In addition, due to the 5G issue of fermentation, components related to optical communication, such as the data transmission capacity, bandwidth and distance of optical fiber, will also be the focus of subsequent development; while VCSEL components are trying to replace the traditional LED light source, providing wavelength 850nm, bandwidth Fiber optic application modules in the 5 to 200 Gbps range, thereby enhancing overall 5G transmission.

According to different main production areas, the VCSEL component supply chain can be divided into five major applications: GaAs substrate supplier, GaAs epitaxial wafer factory, IDM factory, manufacturing foundry and packaging and testing foundry.

For the material structure level, since the structure of the VCSEL element is quite complicated, and the material characteristics and the number of epitaxial layers are quite high, it is necessary to have a highly difficult epitaxial technology to be smoothly produced. However, the profit of VCSEL components is still much higher than that of general infrared component LEDs, making IDM manufacturers (such as IQE, brand new optoelectronics), VCSEL and other IDM plants (such as II-VI, Lumentum) and LED factories (such as wafers and photoelectrics). Demolition into Jingcheng Semiconductor, Osram, etc.) All have been invested or transformed into VCSEL component development, the current market has become a hundred schools of contention.

From the perspective of the supply chain, VCSEL components must use GaAs substrate materials, and the initial work can be completed by the epitaxial process to a complex material structure.

Then the finished wafer is sent to the IDM factory for processing, or transferred to the subcontracting OEM mode, and sent to the manufacturing and packaging and testing foundry for subsequent manufacturing, packaging and testing, and finally a complete VCSEL component is produced.