Arroyo Optics, Inc.

Telaris Inc.

Intel Corporation

California Institute of Technology

Accuwave Corporation

Kotura, Inc.

Other

George A Rakuljic

Anthony Stephen Kewitsch

Amnon Yariv

Naresh Satyan

Xiaolin Tong

Victor Leyva

Arseny Vasilyev

Phil A Willems

Dazeng Feng

Dawei Zheng

Koichi Sayano

Charles E Tyler

Seth J Greenberg

Doruk Engin

Avishay Eyal

Gang Paul Chen

Sze-Keung Kwong

Xian-Li Yeh

Christos T Santis

Arthur Bruce O'Connor

Scott T Steger

Harold Everett Miller, Jr

Xiaoping Mao

Ammon Yariv

William Hayenga

Eduardo Temprana Giraldo

A light detection and ranging system is provided using a first electromagnetic radiation of a first emitting structure as local oscillator signal for a second electromagnetic radiation received from the outside of the light detection and ranging system, wherein the first and second electromagnetic radiations are coherent and the resulting signal is detected by a detecting structure. The resulting signal corresponds to an information of a target at the outside of the light detection and ranging system.

Light detection and ranging systems and optical system

A photonic integrated circuit including a semiconductor substrate having integrate a semiconductor light source configured to emit coherent light of at least the first wavelength and the second wavelength, the semiconductor light source having a first factor; a waveguide structure optically coupled to the semiconductor light source, the waveguide structure having a second Q factor that is higher than the first Q factor, the waveguide structure configured to form an optical cavity for at least the light of the first wavelength and the second wavelength; an optical output structure configured to optically couple the waveguide structure with a plurality of optical channels to transmit light of the first wavelength and the second wavelength from the waveguide structure to the plurality of optical channels.

Photonic integrated circuit and light detection and ranging system

A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system may include a laser source configured to emit one or more optical beams; a scanning optical system configured to scan the one or more optical beams over a scene and capture reflections of the one or more optical beams from the scene; a measurement system configured to divide the scene into a plurality of pixels, the measurement system comprising a detector configured to detect a return signal from multiple pixels of the plurality of pixels as the one or more optical beams are scanned across the scene, and a data processor configured to perform data processing from the return signal from the multiple pixels to determine a range and/or range rate for each pixel of the scene.

Precisely controlled chirped diode laser and coherent LIDAR system

LIDAR systems, and methods of measuring a scene are disclosed. A laser source emits one or more optical beams. A scanning optical system scans the optical beams over a scene and captures reflections from the scene. A measurement subsystem independently measures the reflections from N subpixels within each scene pixel, where N is an integer greater than 1, and combines the measurements of the reflections from the N subpixels to determine range and/or range rate for the pixel.

LIDAR system with speckle mitigation

Methods and apparatus to control the optical frequency of a laser are disclosed. An apparatus includes: a first laser to emit a first beam of light, the first beam of light to have an adjustable frequency based on an input current; a second laser to emit a second beam of light, the second beam of light to have a substantially fixed frequency; a photodetector to generate a feedback signal indicative of a frequency difference between the first and second beams of light; and logic circuitry to control the input current based on the feedback signal.

Methods and apparatus to control the optical frequency of a laser

Frequency modulated lasers, LIDAR systems, and methods of controlling laser are disclosed. A laser source emits an optical beam having an optical frequency that changes in response to a signal applied to an input of the laser source. A laser driver that generates the signal applied to the input to cause the optical frequency to vary in accordance with a periodic frequency versus time function. The laser driver generates the signal for a current period of the periodic frequency versus time function based, at least in part, on optical frequency versus time measurements of one or more prior periods of the periodic frequency versus time function.

Precisely controlled chirped diode laser and coherent lidar system

A laser resonator includes an active material, which amplifies light associated with an optical gain of the resonator, and passive materials disposed in proximity with the active material. The resonator oscillates over one or more optical modes, each of which corresponds to a particular spatial energy distribution and resonant frequency. Based on a characteristic of the passive materials, for the particular spatial energy distribution corresponding to at least one of the optical modes, a preponderant portion of optical energy is distributed apart from the active material. The passive materials may include a low loss material, which stores the preponderant optical energy portion distributed apart from the active material, and a buffer material disposed between the low loss material and the active material, which controls a ratio of the optical energy stored in the low loss material to a portion of the optical energy in the active material. A Vernier grating and tuning mechanism can be used to tune the low-noise laser.

High-coherence semiconductor light sources

A detection apparatus and method for FMCW LIDAR employ signals whose frequencies are modified so that low-cost and low-speed photodetector arrays, such as CCD or CMOS cameras, can be employed for range detection. The LIDAR is designed to measure the range z to a target and includes a single mode swept frequency laser (SFL), whose optical frequency is varied with time, as a result of which, a target beam which is reflected back by the target is shifted in frequency from a reference beam by an amount that is proportional to the relative range z to the target. The reflected target beam is combined with the reference beam and detected by the photodetector array. By first modulating at least one of the target and reference beams such that the difference between the frequencies of the reflected target beam and the reference beam is reduced to a level that is within the bandwidth of the photodetector array, the need for high-speed detector arrays for full-field imaging is obviated.

Three-dimensional tomographic imaging camera

A detection apparatus and method for FMCW LIDAR employ signals that are modified so that low-cost and low-speed photodetector arrays, such as CCD or CMOS cameras, can be employed for range detection. The LIDAR is designed to measure the range to one or more targets and includes a single mode swept frequency laser (SFL), whose optical frequency is varied with time, as a result of which, a target beam which is reflected back by the one or more targets is shifted in frequency from a reference beam by an amount that is proportional to the relative range to the one or more targets. The reflected target beam(s) is/are combined with the reference beam and detected by the photodetector array. In the case of a sparse number of targets to be detected, Compressive Sensing (CS) techniques can be employed by a processor to reduce the number of measurements necessary to determine the range of each target.

Three-dimensional tomographic imaging camera based on compressive sensing

A chirped diode laser (ChDL) is employed for seeding optical amplifiers and/or dissimilar optical paths, which simultaneously suppresses stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and enables coherent combination. The seed spectrum will appear broadband to suppress the SBS, but the well-defined chirp will have the coherence and duration to allow the active phasing of multiple amplifiers and/or dissimilar optical paths. The phasing is accomplished without optical path-length matching by interfering each amplifier output with a reference, processing the resulting signal with a phase lock loop, and using the error signal to drive an acousto-optic frequency shifter at the front end of each optical amplifier and/or optical path.

Frequency-chirped semiconductor diode laser phase-locked optical system

A detection apparatus and method for FMCW LIDAR employ signals whose frequencies are modified so that low-cost and low-speed photodetector arrays can be employed for range detection. The LIDAR includes a single mode swept frequency laser (SFL), whose optical frequency is varied with time, as a result of which, a target beam reflected back by the target is shifted in frequency from a reference beam by an amount that is proportional to the relative range z to the target. The reflected target beam is combined with the reference beam and detected by the photodetector array. The difference between the frequencies of the reflected target beam and the reference beam is reduced to a level that is within the bandwidth of the photodetector array by first modulating the target and/or reference beam.

This invention relates to opto-electronic systems using semiconductor lasers driven by optical phase-locked loops that control the laser's optical phase and frequency. Feedback control provides a means for precise, wideband control of optical frequency and phase, augmented further by four wave mixing stages and digitally stitched independent optical waveforms for enhanced tunability.

Arbitrary optical waveform generation utilizing optical phase-locked loops

This invention relates to opto-electronic systems using semiconductor lasers driven by optical phase-locked loops that control the laser's optical phase and frequency. Feedback control provides a means for precise control of optical frequency and phase, including the ability for broadband electronic tunability of optical signals and the cascading of multiple lasers for enhanced tunability and coherent combining for increased output power.

High performance tunable lasers utilizing optical phase-locked loops

Semiconductor diode lasers are phase-locked by direct current injection and combined to form a single coherent output beam. The optical power is amplified by use of fiber amplifiers. Electronically control of the optical phases of each emitter enables power efficient combining of output beams to be maintained under dynamic conditions.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Monica, CA, United States of America

George A Rakuljic