SolidVue's CEO, 'Advancing LiDAR Technology through Fundamental Tech'

SolidVue aims to advance the technology of LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) for autonomous driving through its proprietary fundamental technology, particularly by designing the sensor part of the LiDAR module as a semiconductor chip.

Choi JaeHyuk, CEO of SolidVue, recently clarified the company's direction in an interview with The Bell. SolidVue is a nascent startup that designs the sensor part of LiDAR modules as miniature semiconductor chips.

Established in November 2020, SolidVue was co-founded by three individuals: Choi JaeHyuk, a professor in semiconductor system engineering at Sungkyunkwan University; director Chun Jung-Hoon from a different university; and professor Kim Seong-Jin from UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology). The company's name, SolidVue, captures the essence of being solid, semiconductor-oriented, three-dimensional, and includes 'vue,' a French word meaning perspective or view.

From left: CEO Choi JaeHyuk, CTO Chun Jung-Hoon, CS Kim Seong-Jin

This team, consisting of educators, also boasts experience in development at major corporate research labs. They proudly claim robust R&D capabilities in autonomous driving and mobile LiDAR and TOF (Time-of-Flight) image sensor technology at a top-tier level in Korea.

Even before its official incorporation, SolidVue had earned international recognition for its technical expertise. It received awards three times from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). In February 2020, it secured the Silkroad Award at the ISSCC academic conference, dubbed the Olympics of semiconductor design, for a QVGA-level TOF image sensor. In June, its solid-state LiDAR sensor for autonomous driving with 36 channels was selected as a highlight at the IEEE VLSI Symposium. This sensor received the Minister of Industry, Trade and Resources Award at the Korea Semiconductor Design Contest. In February, it anticipates winning the ISSCC Silkroad Award for its Flash LiDAR sensor.

The reason for founding SolidVue was to expedite the commercialization of LiDAR sensors using semiconductor technology. LiDAR technology detects the shape and distance of objects by illuminating the surroundings with lasers and visualizing them as three-dimensional image data. It finds application in various fields such as surveillance cameras, delivery and service robots, drones, screen doors, and traffic systems.

LiDAR technology is particularly pivotal for achieving autonomous driving. Presently, it has been commercialized up to Level 1-2, encompassing functions like lane-keeping assist and maintaining safe distances. However, for Level 3 (limited autonomous driving), global automotive brands are contemplating and testing LiDAR applications, recognizing it as a necessary condition.

Already, there exist LiDAR module companies both domestically and internationally. Velodyne and Luminar lead the global market, while SOSLAB, Seoul Robotics, and Autonomous A2G are present in Korea. Velodyne and Luminar, both listed on NASDAQ last year, boast a market value of 10 trillion won. Nevertheless, widespread commercialization of LiDAR still requires improvement. Due to its size and costliness, mass production remains practically unattainable.

CEO Choi mentioned, "The reason behind founding SolidVue was the absence of domestic and global establishments implementing the sensor part of LiDAR as semiconductor chips."

SolidVue's four main items are: △ CMOS LiDAR sensors for autonomous driving △ TOF CMOS image sensors △ Flash LiDAR sensors for mobile devices △ Skin diagnosis sensors. TOF CMOS image sensors and Flash LiDAR sensors offer the capability of measuring 3D distances when embedded in smartphones. As evidenced by the latest top-tier model of iPhone 12, which features a mobile LiDAR sensor for the first time, commercialization is anticipated. Especially, the TOF CMOS image sensor integrates solar exclusion and motion distortion removal functions for the first time globally.

In the latter half of the year, SolidVue plans to raise investments of 15 billion to 20 billion won in Series A funding. CEO Choi added, "We aim to secure investments to focus on R&D, implement research results into commercial-grade products, and target technology transfer and mass production from 2022."

QuadVentures CEO Cho, who was the first financial investor in SolidVue, explained, "Even before SolidVue's establishment, I recognized the market potential of their items and provided initial capital investment while assisting with business planning, accounting, legal affairs, and more." He also expressed the intention to establish himself as a company builder supporting promising technological startups from universities and research institutes.

SolidVue's Sensor Chips

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