To date VCSEL smartphone applications are front camera for 3-D facial recognition. Lumentum's CC says it is now preparing VCSELs for the back cameras of Android phones for 2019. Most likely Apple would do the same. The size of the VCSELs for back camera is twice the size of the front camera, i.e.. needs more MOCVDs.
seekingalpha.com/article/...nings-call-transcript?part=single
Joseph Wolf
Thank you. I guess another 3D sensing question. Just in terms of the commentary on the other applications, I guess for the android ecosystem, if you think about that and timing, can you talk a little about a range of applications, a range of ASPs and perhaps some sort of mix we could be thinking about 12 to 18 months from now in terms of the overall business?
Alan Lowe
Yes, the customers as you probably are aware very secretive with respect to what the application they're using the 3D sensing or -- so it's hard to tell. I will say that we are working on android customers for what we believe to be front facing as well as world facing applications. So we're expecting to see new applications in calendar '19 that use the other side of a mobile device, which is pretty exciting.
Chris Coldren
I would say that -- well, I’m not sure how we will define Tier 1, 2, 3. [Indiscernible] all Tier 1. But I think what you’re really alluding to is, the dyed that were designed into now and/or the ones that are the least publicly launched tend to be a little smaller than some of the larger android handset vendors or at least their smaller when you consider high-end devices. We're engaged with every large android manufacturer and have design and processes. We can't comment on the timing of their launches, that would be disclosing their confidential information. But I would say that over the next 12 months, virtually every one of them has plans at this points to launch product, but just can't comment on exactly when.
Jun Zhang
Okay. Thanks. So my last question is that, you mentioned there's some opportunity from the 3D sensing module in the back camera from android market. And I just wanted to get some color from you guys about what's the difference between the 3D sensing margin in the back camera and front facing camera? And also what's the ASP difference between those two chipsets? Thanks.
Alan Lowe
So I can't necessarily comment on the module details and that's what our customers deal with. But on our side, and the chips we produce presumably and how we infer often it's a back side or front facing, is just that the chip either has higher power or it has a different beam profile to be able to image over longer distances. In order to accomplish that the chips tend to be larger and potentially more complex, meaning multiple addressable sections able to be modulated or turned on or off rapidly. All of that next to generally a higher ASP, every customer is asking for something a little different. So I don't think there's a great rule of thumb of how much higher ASP, but it can be significantly higher than the other chip used for the same functionality on the front side. Really it's -- again, less [ph] semiconductor process, so it's really just that the chip is twice as big, it's probably going to be priced twice as much.
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