Home » Market News » STMicroelectronics and Metalenz Partner to Transform Optical Sensing

Revolutionary flat-lens technology transforms near-infrared (NIR) optical sensing.

STMicroelectronics and Metalenz Inc. have announced a co-development and license agreement that will see ST develop manufacturing processes for Metalenz s meta-optics technology. Metalenz is a spin-out of the group of Federico Capasso at Harvard University, where the technology was invented. This breakthrough technology is expected to be ready for mass production by the end of this year.

Metalenz’s multifunctional meta-surface optics enable new forms of sensing for the next generation of smartphones and other consumer devices, as well as healthcare and automotive applications. For example, a camera built around this new flat-lens technology can collect more light for brighter images and produce images of the same or better quality than traditional refractive lenses while consuming less power and taking up less space.

ST will integrate Metalenz’s meta-surface optics technology into its existing diffractive optics manufacturing process at its 300mm wafer fab in Crolles, France, leveraging ST’s position at the forefront of the fast-growing Near-Infrared (NIR) optical sensing market. Today, ST leads the market for time-of-flight (ToF) proximity and distance sensors with over 1 billion devices shipped to customers.