STMicroelectronics (ST), a global semiconductor company, is embarking on commercializing metasurface optical technology using a 300mm semiconductor process.

ST announced on the 22nd that it is starting to advance into the optical and sensing markets by signing a new technology licensing agreement with Metalelens, a leader in advanced metasurface optical technology.

With this agreement, ST plans to begin full-scale production of high-precision metasurface optical elements by integrating Metalens’ intellectual property (IP) with its 300mm semiconductor manufacturing process and testing and quality certification capabilities.

ST has already shipped more than 140 million metasurface elements and FlightSense™ modules using Metalens technology since 2022, and this agreement will further accelerate the commercialization of the technology.

The application areas include smartphone biometrics, LIDAR, camera support, robot vision, gesture recognition, and object detection, and expand to not only the consumer market but also the entire industrial and automotive markets.

“ST is the only company with a manufacturing capability that combines optical and semiconductor technologies, providing a platform for high-precision, customized mass production,” said Alexandre Balmeprezol, senior vice president and general manager of ST’s Imaging Business Unit. “This agreement will further strengthen ST’s technology leadership.”dquo; he emphasized.

Rob Devlin, CEO of Metalens, also said, “This agreement is a turning point for the metasurface technology that started at Harvard to spread to the global market,” and explained, “The semiconductorization of optical elements is an opportunity to redefine the paradigm of sensing technology.”

The collaboration is aimed at addressing the rapidly growing metasurface optics market, which is expected to grow to $2 billion by 2029, driven by imaging and display technologies.