High-current, pulsed-laser diode driver board targets LiDAR designs

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) announces the availability of the
EPC9150, a 200 V, high current, pulsed-laser diode driver demonstration board. In a lidar system, used to create 3-D maps for autonomous vehicle applications, speed, and accuracy of object detection are critical. As demonstrated by this board, the rapid transition capability of the EPC2034C eGaN FETs provides power pulses to drive the laser diodes, VCSELs, or LEDs up to ten times faster than an equivalent MOSFET and in a small fraction of the area, energy, and cost. Thus, enhancing the overall performance, including accuracy, precision, and processing speed as
well as the price of a lidar system.

eGaN FETs and integrated circuits provide high current pulses, extremely narrow pulse widths, and small sizes
that make affordable, high-performance lidar possible. Using the 200 V, 12 square mm, EPC2034C eGaN FET, the
EPC9150 can generate a 220 A laser pulse peak in a pulse width that is only 2.9 nanoseconds wide. The high
current increases the range of the lidar system, while the short pulse width leads to higher resolution, and the tiny
size and low cost make eGaN FETs and ICs ideal for lidar applications from automotive to industrial robotics and
security.

The EPC9150 ships with an interposer board. The interposer board is a collection of break-away 5 mm x 5 mm
square interposer PCBs with footprints to accommodate different lasers, RF connectors, and a collection of
other footprints designed for experimentation with different loads. The use of the interposers allows many
different lasers or other loads to be mounted, allowing users to test the performance with the load requirements
that are appropriate to their application.

The EPC9150 demonstration board is priced at $414.00 each.