Princeton Optronics has released high power (2W and 6W) 860nm and 940nm VCSEL arrays with diffusers mounted on top of them for use as illuminators for 3D imaging applications. The diffusers have the ability to modify the divergence angle from the native 20 degree round beam to a maximum of 110 x 90 degree divergence suitable for many applications. Other divergence angles such as 65 x 45 degrees are also available.
The VCSEL arrays with diffusers are used for IR illumination for time of flight or other applications for distance measurements. High divergence is normally needed for head mounted depth camera applications and machine vision. Normally 860nm illuminators are used for predominantly indoors applications and 940nm illuminators for outdoor applications where solar background is present. Princeton Optronics VCSEL arrays with diffusers typically have a wavelength bandwidth of +/-5nm and an efficiency of 40 per cent at 60°C.
