This recognition underscores INPHRED’s leadership in next-generation optoelectronic materials and devices. Founded on nanoporous-semiconductor innovation, INPHRED is advancing two flagship product families: short-wave infrared (SWIR) vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and resonant-cavity LEDs (RC-LEDs).

The breakthroughs matter:

• With SWIR VCSELs (1.3–2.3 µm range) INPHRED has unlocked higher-power, safer eye-safe lasers for applications from under-display facial recognition to autonomous vehicle LiDAR.
• With RC-LEDs based on resonance within nanoporous mirrors, the company is delivering sharper optical emission at lower cost and power, broadening access to advanced sensing and illumination.
• These technologies also support energy-efficient optical interconnects for data centres and high performance computing, offering a path beyond copper limitations.

Beyond the devices, recognition by Semiconductor Review reflects INPHRED’s commercial traction: collaborations with smartphone manufacturers, automotive suppliers, wearable-device makers and data-centre operators.

What this means for INPHRED’s stakeholders
For customers: access to high-performance optoelectronics built on material innovation not incremental tweaks.
For investors: validation of a differentiated technology platform that addresses multiple high-growth markets including consumer electronics, automotive, healthcare, and data centre infrastructure.
For employees and partners: recognition that the work being done is industry-leading, and the opportunity to scale advances into real-world systems.

Looking ahead
INPHRED remains focused on translating its nanoporous materials platform into broader wavelengths and new form-factors. Upcoming milestones include visible-light RC-LEDs (blue/green) for consumer health wearables, and our SWIR-based non-invasive continuous blood glucose monitor (NICGM).

We thank Semiconductor Review for this honour, and we thank our team, partners and customers for enabling this step. INPHRED continues to push the boundaries of how light is generated, shaped, and controlled, in order to deliver optoelectronic solutions for a new era.

“NIGM is a holy grail in our digital health sector… we believe SWIR VCSELs are the missing puzzle piece.”

—VP, Tier 1 Consumer Digital Health Product OEM

“NIGM is a holy grail in our digital health sector… we believe SWIR VCSELs are the missing puzzle piece,” said the Engineering VP of a Tier 1 Consumer Digital Health Product OEM.

In addition to supporting this project with key SWIR VCSEL components. InPHRED is ready to provide the robust ecosystem and partnership to accelerate commercialization of this new NIGM technology.

The Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale is a $65 million accelerator fund managed by Yale Ventures which has sponsored more than 90 unique projects leading to more than 20 startups and 4 acquisitions across drug and therapeutic discoveries, medical devices, digital health, and more.

Read the full announcement here

The SA-series SWIR VCSEL sensor is currently available at 1,380nm (custom wavelengths between 1,300nm and 2,200nm available upon request), with mW operating power and peak conversion efficiency (PCE) of 30%.

Industry Impact
For the past 30 years, the semiconductor industry has sought an affordable and manufacturable SWIR VCSEL to enable high-speed, high-resolution imaging and sensing in the eye-safe, high-resolution, and biologically-sensitive SWIR emission range. However, previous technologies have faced limitations of achievable power efficiency and commercial scalability. 

By developing a simple, scalable manufacturing process for InP VCSELs emitting between 1,300-2,200 nm wavelengths, InPHRED is poised to lead the market in delivering high-performance, commercially-viable SWIR VCSELs. This breakthrough addresses the critical needs of automotive, biomedical, industrial, defense, and data communications applications, where robust, high-precision sensing capabilities are essential.

Applications
InPHRED’s sensor combines the high imaging clarity and resolution of SWIR wavelengths with the superior efficiency, modulation speed, and manufacturability (yield, cost, scale, integration) of VCSELs.

• Consumer & Mobile: SWIR VCSELs enable consumer and mobile 3D sensing, Augmented/Virtual Reality, proximity sensing, biometric identification (FaceID) and more, with under-display integration, lightweight form factor, and low power consumption.
• Biomedical Sensing: SWIR VCSELs unlock affordable, externally wearable, non-invasive sensors to monitor many biomolecules (e.g. blood glucose, blood oxygen, cortisol, etc.) that are optically responsive in the SWIR wavelength range.
• Autonomous LiDAR: SWIR VCSELs uniquely provide eye-safe, high-depth, high-quality 3D object imaging and mapping for automotive and industrial LiDAR (>200m range)—even in adverse low-light environmental conditions such as ran, fog, and dust, where traditional camera vision fails.
• Industrial Sensing: SWIR VCSELs offer enhanced precision for material inspection and quality control in a range of agricultural, manufacturing, and environmental settings.
• Data Communications: SWIR VCSELs have low divergence, high optical output, and can attain high modulation speeds, making them well-suited for optical interconnects.

Read the full announcement here

Professor Jung Han is one of the 17 faculty awardees recognized in 2024 for his significant contribution as a pioneer of semiconductor technology.

InPHRED also appreciates the recognition, continued support, and partnership of Yale Ventures as we bring our advanced, game-changing, optoelectronics solutions to market.

Read the full announcement here

Professor Jung Han was chosen as an awardee for his work extending VCSEL technology into the SWIR range is at the forefront of optical innovation.

InPHRED is commercializing this patented technology — and the Roberts Fund brings the company one step closer toward launching disruptive products for consumer sensing, augmented and extended reality (AR/XR), automotive and industrial LIDAR, datacom, defense, and biomedical applications.

Read the full announcement here