VCSEL maker TrueLight expects its shipments of VCSEL chips for proximity-sensor applications to grow significantly in the fourth quarter of 2020, driven by strong order pull-ins from the handset sectors in China and Korea, according to company sources.

Its shipments of proximity-sensor VCSEL chips are likely to reach 130 million units in the fourth quarter, up from the 96 million shipped a quarter earlier, the sources said.

The sources said the company has seen a surge in demand for proximity-sensor VCSEL chips in the light of the growing popularity of handsets with full-screen displays.

The adoption of the full-screen display will enable the realization of handset designs with under-display camera (UDC) technology that will optimize signal transmission through the display, and related designs are getting momentum, said the sources.

China-based ZTE has unveiled its latest model A20 5G featuring a UDC module, and rival brands including Xiaomi and Samsung Electronics are also reportedly preparing their own UDC models to be released in 2021.

TrueLight estimates that global proximity-sensor VCSEL chip shipments to reach 500 million units in 2020 and increase to 700-800 million in 2021.

By DIGITIMES