The surface emitter technology used in the new devices represents a unique die construction in which all the light generated inside the semiconductor is emitted through the top surface of the chip. The result is a 2.5X improvement in radiant intensity for the new family compared with devices in the same package types using conventional chip technologies.
By offering higher optical power in the same space, the new devices will allow designers to reduce component count and/or improve the performance of a host of applications using infrared emitters. These include 3DTV active glasses synchronization, infrared touch panels, CCTV security cameras, 3D imaging for gaming and surveillance, CMOS cameras and flashes, proximity sensors, light curtains, and data transmission.
The four surface-mount devices released today are offered in 0805 (VSMY1850), gull-wing dome lens (VSMY2850G), reverse gull-wing dome lens (VSMY2850RG), and PLCC-2 (VSMY3850) packages. They feature a peak emission wavelength of 850 nm, 10° or 60° angles of half intensity, and fast switching times of 10 ns. The following table summarizes their key specifications.