ON Semiconductor Corporation is acquiring and licensing millimeter wave technology developed by IBM’s Haifa, Israel research team. ON Semiconductor will use the technology for automotive radar applications.

The acquisition includes staff, equipment, research facilities and intellectual property that will form a new design center for ON Semiconductor in Haifa. The center will report to the automotive solutions division within the Image Sensor Group.

The combination of radar and image technologies will enable ON Semiconductor to more fully address the growing trend of sensor fusion, where multiple sensing technologies are used to improve accuracy and automotive safety. Radar complements sensing cameras, excelling at measuring distance and object velocity even with poor visibility.

The Haifa team’s E-Band silicon designs meet the stringent European ETSI standard and include high output power from a fixed beam silicon chipset.

Taner Ozcelik, senior vice president and general manager of the Image Sensor Group at ON Semiconductor, said, “The team and its technologies accelerates ON Semiconductor’s strategy to grow our automotive sensing business even faster than the robust growth from increasing camera attach rates. We look forward to delivering a wider range of sensing products and technology to meet our customers’ needs for next-generation ADAS and fully autonomous driving solutions.”