Turning on the Lights: GaN Power FETs for LiDAR Sensors (Download)
Gallium-nitride (GaN) power devices are becoming one of the core building blocks in LiDAR sensors thanks to their ultra-fast switching speeds and limited parasitics, which enable high peak currents in conjunction with high bus voltages and narrow pulse widths.
To usher in the future of self-driving cars, more advanced sensors must be used within the vehicle’s system. One of the more widely used sensors to detect the presence of objects surrounding a self-driving vehicle is LiDAR—short for light detection and ranging—which shoots out light from a laser and measures the reflections in the scene, sort of like light-based radar. The vehicle’s onboard computer can use the data to interpret the car’s relation to its surroundings and the presence of other cars and objects on the road.