Maxim introduces the industry's fastest and smallest LiDAR IC

     Maxim Integrated Products announced the introduction of the industry's fastest and smallest light detection and ranging (LiDAR) IC to help enable higher speed autonomous vehicle driving. The MAX40026 high-speed comparator and MAX40660/MAX40661 wideband interresistance amplifiers provide more than twice the bandwidth compared to the closest competing solutions, adding 32 additional channels in a single LiDAR module of the same size, up to 128 channels in a single module (competing products have 96 channels). This increases the speed of autonomous driving on highways by 10mph (15km/h).

     As autonomous driving speeds increase from 35mph to 65mph and beyond, LiDAR is playing an increasingly important role in the fusion of automotive sensors due to its ability to provide accurate object ranging. Compared to the closest competitor, the MAX40660/MAX40661 mutual resistance amplifier (TIA) delivers more than twice the bandwidth and 33% more channels supported in the same size LiDAR module, providing higher resolution images to the optical receiver and enabling higher autonomous driving speeds.

     The MAX40026 high-speed comparator has an overall system size reduction of 5mm2 compared to the MAX40660/1 TIA, allowing developers to introduce more channels into space-constrained automotive platforms. The IC is AEC-Q100 certified to meet the stringent safety requirements of the automotive industry, and Enhanced Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) protection, Failure Mode Impact and Diagnostic Analysis (FMEDA) supports system-level ISO 26262 certification.

     Conny Heiler, Director of marketing at First Sensor, said: "To add the next generation of LiDAR ranging capabilities to assembled vehicles, automotive engineers need solutions with higher accuracy, lower power consumption and smaller dimensions. "Our fully enhanced LiDAR solution supports more advanced driver identification and faster vehicle safety for the next generation of automotive navigation systems."