Xiaomi uses ams' miniature VCSEL arrays in its new Mi8 smartphone's high-efficiency, always-on facial recognition system.

ams' low-power infrared (IR) vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) laser emitter, PMSIL, has been used to implement the world's first user facial recognition function in an Android platform-based smartphone.

Xiaomi's 2018 flagship smartphone, the Mi8 Explorer Edition, features a facial recognition system using ams' IR VCSEL array.
PMSIL is a complete VCSEL flood illuminator system that integrates an eye-safety interlock to protect user privacy, while providing high optical efficiency and low battery consumption.

The PMSIL integrates the emitter die and diffuser into a compact package measuring 3 mm x 3 mm x 1 mm, featuring excellent spectral stability over temperature conditions and a narrow spectral bandwidth of less than 1 nm. The beam profile can be precisely tailored to specific smartphone application requirements.

In the Mi8 Explorer Edition, the PMSIL operates in always-on mode for face detection and recognition. ams also supplies the IR VCSEL emitter used in the CS115 structured 3D lighting system. This IR emitter is an IR chip-integrated VCSEL array on the substrate, offering a small footprint and high optical efficiency. ams also supplies the TMD27253 ambient light sensor and proximity detection module used in the Mi8 and Mi8SE models.

“Xiaomi is a unique player in the Chinese smartphone industry,” said Hui Nie, General Manager of the VCSEL product line at ams. “With its bold and innovative approach to product design and its ability to integrate advanced technologies into sleek, beautiful designs, its brand power is expanding globally.”

“To achieve the slim, bezel-less design of the Mi8 Explorer Edition, Xiaomi’s design engineers wanted to make the facial recognition system as small as possible, a design requirement that ultimately led them to evaluate ams’ IR VCSEL arrays so highly. When Xiaomi tested the power consumption of the ams devices, the overall superiority of the ams products over the competition became even more evident,” he said.