ON Semiconductor buys SensL Technologies

ON Semiconductor Corporation has announced its acquisition of SensL Technologies Ltd ("SensL"). The acquisition is expected to be immediately accretive to ON Semiconductor's non-GAAP earnings per share. SensL, based in Ireland, is a technology leader specializing in Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM), Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) and LiDAR sensing products for automotive, medical, industrial and consumer markets. This acquisition positions ON Semiconductor to extend its market leadership in automotive sensing applications for ADAS and autonomous driving with expanded capabilities in imaging, radar and LiDAR. By combining this acquisition in Ireland with previously acquired radar technology and design centers in Israel and United Kingdom, ON Semiconductor is uniquely positioned to provide a comprehensive set of sensor solutions for next-generation highly autonomous vehicles and to solidify its position as a leader in image sensing and ultrasonic park assistance. In the second half of 2018, ON Semiconductor is planning to introduce samples to the market which incorporate technology from the radar assets acquired in 2017.

"The entire SensL team, founded by Carl Jackson and led by Bryan Campbell, has done a great job in bringing SiPMs to market and we look forward to expanding their market success and continuing their product portfolio in LiDAR, medical imaging and radiation detection," said Taner Ozcelik, senior vice president and general manager Image Sensor Group. "The automotive sensor fusion demand is growing at an accelerated pace with a need for additional sensor technologies that are provided by the SensL team. Expanding our sensor technology assets and design capacity in Ireland will allow us to extend our leadership in established segments and to deliver new, world-class solutions for emerging segments."

The SensL team will report directly into the Image Sensor Group. The team is located in Cork, Ireland and expands a global sensor design footprint that now includes major locations in the United States, UK, Japan, India, Israel, and Ireland.

SensL is a leader in the new frontier of medical imaging with broad product lines around SiPM and SPAD technologies which pave the way towards affordable solid state LiDAR. The company has been a leader in the emerging field of automotive LiDAR with multiple customers and strong roadmap based on their leading SPAD and SiPM based depth sensing technologies. SensL has been a leader in these depth sensing technologies with deep investments in research and development for the past 15 years. The technology is based on CMOS, which provides the economies of scale for cost effective solid state LiDAR solutions and enables leading depth accuracy, distance and power consumption for challenging imaging situations. These depth sensing technologies also enables advances in industrial robotics, machine vision, drones as well as mobile and other consumer applications. Additionally, complementing SensL's sensors with the expanded ON Semiconductor portfolio and strength in ASICs, ON Semiconductor will be able to provide more complete and optimized solutions to its broad customer base in automotive, medical, industrial and consumer markets.

This acquisition solidifies ON Semiconductor as a leader in sensing solutions for autonomous driving and ADAS applications, with a comprehensive portfolio of imaging, radar, ultrasound and LiDAR technologies.