Biaxial 360-degree scanning LIDAR using a liquid crystal control.

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Photonics
• Autonomous Systems

Background:

• Advancements in autonomous vehicles necessitate sophisticated non-mechanical Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technologies for enhanced safety and reliability.
• Current LIDAR systems often rely on mechanical components, limiting their durability, speed, and miniaturization potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To confirm the operating principle of a novel non-mechanical LIDAR system.
• To demonstrate a new approach for beam steering in LIDAR applications using liquid crystal technology.

Main Methods:

• Integration of concentric circular-grating couplers (CGCs) with a coaxially aligned rod lens.
• Application of voltages to area-segmented electrodes and a liquid crystal layer to control beam scanning.
• Vertical incidence of laser light onto the inner CGC, with radiation from the outer CGC and passage through the rod lens.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated 360-degree horizontal and 10-degree vertical scanning motion ranges.
• Achieved vertical scanning up to 100 Hz with a beam spread of 0.3° × 0.8°.
• Observed rotational scanning of ten equally spaced beams with a 6-degree cycle and varying spread angles between 0.8° and 3.5°.

Conclusions:

• The developed non-mechanical LIDAR system successfully demonstrates a viable operating principle for future autonomous vehicle applications.
• This technology offers a promising alternative to traditional mechanical LIDAR, potentially improving performance and robustness.
• Further development could lead to more compact, faster, and reliable LIDAR solutions essential for advanced driver-assistance systems and fully autonomous driving.