Solid-State LiDAR

Solid-State LiDAR represents a pivotal advancement in LiDAR technology. Its defining characteristic is the complete removal of mechanical rotating scanning parts found in traditional LiDAR units. By steering laser beams electronically or optically, it delivers a significantly more compact footprint, superior reliability, and greater potential for cost reduction.

💡 Why the Shift to "Solid-State"?

Mechanical LiDAR relies on physical spinning assemblies to provide a 360° field of view. While the technology is mature, drawbacks like bulky packaging, high manufacturing costs, and inevitable mechanical wear make it difficult to satisfy automotive-grade reliability for mass production. Solid-state LiDAR was engineered specifically to address these pain points, earning its reputation as the "ultimate form" of automotive LiDAR.

⚙️ Three Mainstream Technical Approaches

Based on how the laser beam is steered, solid-state LiDAR is primarily categorised into three main technical approaches:

Technology	Working Principle	Key Highlights	Current Status
MEMS Micromirror	Achieves beam scanning by reflecting laser pulses off oscillating micro-mirrors (approx. 1–5 mm).	The most commercially mature approach. Strikes an ideal balance between performance and cost, and is already fitted across multiple production vehicles.	In high-volume mass production
Flash LiDAR	Operates like a camera flash, illuminating the entire field of view with an instantaneous, wide laser pulse captured by a sensor array.	Straightforward architecture with a shorter detection range (typically <100 m), making it ideal for short-range blind-spot coverage.	Mass-produced for blind-spot monitoring
Optical Phased Array (OPA)	Controls the phase variance across an emitter array to steer the beam direction, enabling purely electronic scanning.	Completely devoid of moving parts with the highest theoretical reliability, but remains technically challenging and is largely confined to R&D and testing.	Active R&D phase

Note: In industry parlance, MEMS setups are frequently labelled as "solid-state LiDAR". Strictly speaking, however, because MEMS relies on microscopic moving mirrors, it is classified as a "semi-solid-state" solution. True "all-solid-state" systems refer exclusively to OPA and Flash LiDAR.

🚗 Industry Landscape and Future Trends

Solid-state LiDAR is rapidly transitioning from a premium optional extra to standard equipment for advanced autonomous driving systems, driven by two key trends:

Steep performance gains: The "Kongque" chip unveiled by RoboSense in 2026 pushed solid-state LiDAR resolution up to VGA-grade (approx. 300,000 pixels). This generates dense 3D depth point clouds capable of distinguishing a pedestrian’s head, shoulders, and limbs from 10 metres away. In cutting-edge research, a team published findings in Nature on a true solid-state FMCW LiDAR chip integrating over 600,000 photonic components, delivering an imaging resolution exceeding 60,000 pixels.
Aggressive cost reduction: Thanks to technological refinement and economies of scale, LiDAR hardware that once commanded hundreds of thousands of ringgit is now filtering down to mass-market passenger cars in the RM100,000 bracket. Industry analysts anticipate prices will drop even further.

⚠️ Strengths and Practical Limitations

Solid-state LiDAR substantially boosts an ADAS setup's ability to detect stationary obstacles and irregularly shaped objects. It provides dependable perception in lighting conditions where camera sensors struggle—such as pitch-black night driving or direct sun glare—serving as a vital safety redundancy buffer. That said, it is not without compromises:

Performance hit in severe weather: Adverse conditions like torrential downpours and dense fog scatter laser beams, noticeably reducing effective range and accuracy.
Real-world performance hinges on software: LiDAR serves purely as a hardware sensor; the end-user experience ultimately depends on sensor fusion and decision-making algorithms.
High replacement and repair costs: Exterior-mounted LiDAR modules damaged in minor fender-benders or bumper scrapes command steep replacement bills.