Obsidian Sensors awarded US Army contracts to accelerate the development of high-resolution thermal imaging sensors and expands their large-scale microbolometer production capabilities with a new manufacturing partnership
“In 2017, Qualcomm spun out an engineering team to EvoNexus with a promise of creating a new generation of thermal image sensors,” said Rory Moore, Co-Founder & CEO of EvoNexus. “Thermal imaging use cases include military (night vision goggles and cameras), environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, security surveillance, agriculture, wildlife management, and more. Obsidian’s current focus is on thermal imaging for automotive and aviation (drones). These use cases require low-cost, high-performance sensors. Once admitted to the EvoNexus incubation program, their development accelerated, they secured a manufacturing partner, and raised over $20M in venture funding.”
PR NEWSWIRE/ SAN DIEGO, CA / DECEMBER 12TH, 2024 / Obsidian Sensors kicked off a new manufacturing partnership with Japan’s leading flat panel display maker, JDI (Japan Display Incorporated). This partnership is the second manufacturing source for Obsidian who demonstrated the world’s first uncooled microbolometers on glass, fabricated at Innolux which is Obsidian’s first and current manufacturing partner in Taiwan. Obsidian’s VGA microbolometer on glass is already in production at Innolux while this JDI effort is targeting SXGA (1280×1024) and higher resolution formats with production start planned for 2026.
Prominent VC and technologist Marc Andreessen recently posted data1 from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics that compared pricing over a 23-year span, highlighting the dramatically decreasing trajectory that flat panel displays have demonstrated (i.e., televisions and displays in general). Andreessen issued a call to follow that lead. We at Obsidian Sensors have done just that by re-engineering every part of the thermal imaging sensor to adopt flat panel display manufacturing processes resulting in what thermal imaging pioneer and founder of Seek Thermal, Dr. William Parrish describes as the “largest innovation since the invention of the microbolometer itself.” Our Large Area MEMS Platform (LAMP) makes thermal imaging accessible to the mass market today and will serve as the foundation for next-generation sensors at scales that were once unimaginable.
Uncooled microbolometers are the sensors that power thermal cameras, imaging radiated heat, not reflected or scattered light. Thermal cameras enable imaging where visible cameras fail, in total darkness (aka night vision), in blinding light and clutter, and in difficult conditions such as smoke, fog, and even sandstorms. Obsidian’s LAMP manufacturing approach uses large sheets of glass as the substrate to implement a surface micromachining process integrated with thin film transistors. With LAMP, Obsidian is shipping VGA resolution (640 x 480) uncooled microbolometer devices built at a conventional LCD TV factory.
The new relationship was kicked off targeting the development of 12 μm pitch microbolometers at JDI’s Gen 4.5 fab in Ishikawa, Japan, with the goal of releasing SXGA (1280 x 1024) resolution products in 2026. The new partnership adds to Obsidian’s arsenal of manufacturing capabilities for sourcing the unique microbolometers on glass devices at scales unheard of in the thermal imaging industry. Each fab, Innolux and JDI, will be capable of manufacturing hundreds of millions of high-resolution focal planes per year. “The relationship with Innolux is extremely important to us as they are our first partner, already in pilot production with VGA resolution products, on track to offer SVGA (800 x 600) in 2025. The new partnership with JDI is focused on accelerating the roadmap to realize higher resolution formats based on a new 12 μm pitch device,” said John Hong, CEO and co-founder of Obsidian Sensors.
“We are eager to start this partnership with Obsidian Sensors. We are convinced that the clever use of display manufacturing technology to make these high value sensors will change the world and we are excited to be a part of that revolution,” said Scott Callon, CEO and Chairman of JDI.
Obsidian has been awarded two Army contracts to support development of the readout integrated circuit and smaller pixels that are important for the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) C5ISR Center Research and Technology Integration Directorate. The Army has a strong interest in low cost, lightweight, high-definition sensors which leverage commercial volume advantages. Obsidian will deliver such a sensor using their unique manufacturing approach.
Obsidian Sensors is the only company in the world that makes high resolution uncooled microbolometers on glass substrates using their LAMP process that integrates surface micromachining with thin film transistors on extremely large glass substrates. LAMP uses a standard display fab without any modifications and is a high yielding manufacturing process with VGA products already shipping to customers in commercial security, drone, industrial and automotive markets. The company spun out of Qualcomm in 2017 with IP and seed funding and closed a $24M Series A round in 2019. The company has been awarded over $15M of contract funding that helped augment the technology development for LAMP and thermal cameras. The company is seeking to close a Series B round to help expand the critical packaging capability which it will establish in the United States.
JDI is a world leader in high resolution display technologies with a solid base of commercial operations to deliver small to large displays, OLED displays based on its revolutionary eLEAP platform and near eye displays for VR and AR glasses.
Only Obsidian Sensors builds microbolometers on glass using Gen 3.5 or Gen 4.5 glass substrates while the rest of the world continues to build them on 200mm (8″) silicon wafers. The relative sizes of these substrate formats are illustrated in proper scale above.
SOURCE: Tallis Chang, Obsidian Sensors via PR Newswire
About Obsidian Sensors
Obsidian Sensors, Inc. is a San Diego, California-based company that manufactures infrared cameras for use in security, defense, automotive, and drone markets. The company was founded in 2017 by John Hong and uses proprietary manufacturing techniques to produce high-volume units at a lower cost than other commercial options. Obsidian’s technology includes glass microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) that use infrared imaging for applications such as autonomous vehicles and security cameras. Learn more at obsidiansensors.com.
About EvoNexus
EvoNexus is California’s leading nonprofit technology startup incubator located in San Diego. EvoNexus has successfully incubated over 265 startups with a survival rate of over 85%. Since the incubator’s formation in 2010, EvoNexus companies have secured over $1.6B in venture funding, $10B in pre-exit valuation, and had 54 acquisitions valued at over $2.1B. EvoNexus is supported by corporate partners, including some of the largest multinational corporations in the world. Learn more at evonexus.org/.