Solid-state Swept Source Lidar: single-sweep-per-frame 3D FMCW lidar with OPA-plus-dispersion beam steering

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Solid-State Physics
• Lidar Technology

Background:

• Next-generation lidar demands compact, solid-state beam steering.
• Previous swept-source lidar required multiple sweeps per frame.
• Integrating beam steering onto a chip is a key challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a chip-scale, solid-state lidar with dual-axis active beam steering.
• To enable full 2D frame acquisition within a single wavelength sweep.
• To improve lidar imaging frame rates and compactness.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a silicon-photonic optical phased array (OPA) for fast-axis beam steering.
• Reassigned dispersive beam steering to the slow axis for vertical control.
• Employed frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) ranging with a tunable laser.

Main Results:

• Achieved ~50° horizontal beam steering with a 32-channel OPA.
• Added ~5° vertical beam steering via wavelength tuning.
• Demonstrated 10 Hz 3D imaging frame rates with a single sweep.

Conclusions:

• This work presents the first active, dual-axis, on-chip, solid-state swept-source lidar.
• The chip-scale architecture enables efficient 2D frame formation within a single sweep.
• The system offers a pathway to next-generation compact and high-performance lidar applications.