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Monolithic transceiver for lens-assisted beam-steering Lidar.
Optics Letters
|November 15, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed a silicon photonic transceiver for light detecting and ranging (Lidar) using lens-assisted beam-steering (LABS). This integrated chip enables simultaneous beam emission, steering, and reception for advanced Lidar applications.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Optical Engineering
- Integrated Optics
- Lidar Technology
Background:
- Current Lidar systems often require bulky and complex external components for beam steering.
- Silicon photonics offers a pathway for miniaturizing and integrating optical functions onto a single chip.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a monolithic transceiver for Lidar applications utilizing lens-assisted beam-steering (LABS).
- To integrate beam emitting, steering, and receiving functionalities onto a single silicon photonic chip.
Main Methods:
- Development of a CMOS-compatible silicon photonic platform featuring an on-chip two-dimensional transceiver array.
- Integration of a U-shaped vertical Germanium (Ge) photodetector surrounding a grating for efficient light transmission and reception.
- Implementation of a time-of-flight Lidar system for proof-of-concept demonstration.
Main Results:
- The on-chip photodetector achieved a bandwidth of 87 MHz, responsivity of 0.3 A/W, and detection sensitivity of -20 dBm.
- A Lidar system demonstrated target ranging up to 5.2 m with a scanning angle of 2.86° and a scanning speed of 5.3 µs.
Conclusions:
- A feasible solution for integrated Lidar systems with on-chip beam emission and reception has been demonstrated.
- The LABS approach on a monolithic silicon photonic transceiver paves the way for compact and efficient Lidar systems.
