Metalenz, UMC Team for Metasurface Optics Market Launch

Metalenz has partnered with semiconductor foundry United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) to begin mass production of its metasurface optics using semiconductor manufacturing processes. With this partnership, Metalenz said, metasurface optics will be available on the open market for the first time.

Rob Devlin, Metalenz co-founder and CEO, said that company is engaged in talks with OEMS to begin deploying metasurface optics in 3D sensing applications. Partnering with UMC, he said, grants manufacturing capabilities and a global reach to serve customers around the world.

Metalenz has partnered with UMC to bring metasurface to the commercial market. Courtesy of Metalenz.

The first designs to go through the newly established supply chain will be for Chinese OEM DiluSense, a supplier of 3D sensing systems for IoT devices and consumer electronics. DiluSense founder and CEO Hu Lei said the integration of metasurface optics will enable new optical form factors and performance to further their 3D sensing AI solutions.

Metalenz’s technology has appeared in devices made in collaboration with STMicroelectronics. The company is a spinout of Harvard University founded in 2016.