Focus on 'Urilo' Technology Amid Expansion of Quantum Industries Such as Cryptography and Autonomous Driving

NFAD (Negative Feedback Avalanche Diode) developed by Wooriro.

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Last September, SK Telecom signed a business agreement with Boryeong Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal and installed a ‘quantum gas sensing system’ in the LNG storage tanks located in Boryeong, Chungnam, initiating the first commercialization demonstration in industrial sites. Until now, the control of large gas facilities has relied on ‘chemical reaction gas detection’ or ‘infrared-based gas leak detection’ methods. These methods have drawbacks such as short detection distances, difficulty in measuring gas concentration, and reduced sensing ability due to external environmental factors like wind.

On the other hand, ‘quantum sensing’ is a technology that detects quantum particles of minute size in light and converts them into electrical signals for measurement. By shooting a laser at the leaking gas and measuring the number of light particles in the reflected wave, various information such as gas concentration and volume can be identified. This technology can simultaneously overcome the shortcomings of existing sensors, including extending detection range, concentration measurement, and excluding external environmental interference. It is expected to be widely used in various advanced fields such as autonomous driving in the future.

A key component essential for this quantum sensing is the NFAD (Negative Feedback Avalanche Diode). NFAD is one of the components indispensable in quantum cryptography communication processes that are immune to hacking or eavesdropping. Besides quantum cryptography communication, it is applied in quantum sensing and can be used in various fields such as LiDAR for autonomous driving systems and gas sensors.

Wooriro, an optical communication component company, is a company with excellent technological capabilities in this field. As Korea’s first optical communication company, Wooriro was the first in the country to develop single-photon detectors for quantum cryptography communication and single-photon LiDAR receiver devices (SSPM), which are core components of autonomous driving systems. A Wooriro representative explained, “Wooriro possesses world-class manufacturing and production technology for single-photon detectors,” adding, “This year, sales related to single-photon detectors are about 3.5 billion KRW, with most being sold exclusively by Wooriro.”

Wooriro’s quantum sensing-related products are also widely used in the ‘defense industry,’ which is called a future growth engine. The defense optical detectors produced by Wooriro since 2010 have been recognized for their excellent speed and infrared sensitivity and are currently supplied for Surion helicopters, Korean tanks, and armored vehicles.

Recently, discussions for joint technology development and product supply have been underway with GA, the world’s largest defense company in the unmanned drone sector in the United States, among others, expanding sales channels in the defense field.

In line with this trend, Wooriro recently recruited CEO Min-gyo Oh, an expert in technology company management. CEO Oh stated, “Wooriro’s quantum technology will receive more attention as related industries and application fields expand,” and added, “I will strive to expand the domestic and international markets for optical sensor products that are leading the market through the experience and networks accumulated so far.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.