Hrl Laboratories, LLC

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

The Boeing Company

University of California

Theboeing Company

Pamela R Patterson

Keyvan R Sayyah

Oleg M Efimov

Raymond Sarkissian

Biqin Huang

James H Schaffner

David T Chang

James Chingwei Li

David Hammon

Randall Lynn Kubena

Hasan Sharifi

Tahir Hussain

Donald A Hitko

Wonill Ha

Yakov Royter

Richard Kremer

Timothy J Talty

Ping Liu

Peter David Brewer

Guillermo A Herrera

Hung P Nguyen

Keisuke Shinohara

Frederic P Stratton

Michael Mulqueen

Dana C Wheeler

Geoffrey P McKnight

Christopher Paul Henry

Hyok Jae Song

Roland J Menassa

Andrew C Keefe

Jeong-sun Moon

Joseph S Colburn

Florian G Herrault

Chris A Ihrke

Douglas Martin Linn

Ming C Wu

Kyung-Ah Son

Keerti S Kona

Hwa Chang Seo

Brian N Limketkai

Richard Michael Kremer

Erik S Daniel

Aurelio Lopez

Jack A Crowell

Alan E Reamon

Mariano J Taboada

Joshua M Doria

Andrey A Kiselev

Kevin S Holabird

Andy Hunter

Angela Shum

Doo-Young Hah

David L Hammon

A high-resistivity N-doped ruthenium oxide thin film is formed on a substrate by flowing argon and nitrogen gases in a sputter chamber that includes a preconditioned ruthenium oxide sputter target. The method includes forming a plasma and sputter depositing a high-resistivity N-doped ruthenium oxide thin film with a N/Ru atomic ratio between 0.5 and 3.0 and resistivity greater than 0.01 Ω cm on the substrate in the substrate. A high-resistivity H-doped ruthenium oxide thin film is formed on a substrate by first forming an oxygen-rich ruthenium oxide thin film, followed by a hydrogen anneal. A temperature sensor structure includes a high-resistivity ruthenium oxide thin film that is doped with nitrogen or hydrogen and has a resistivity between 0.01 and 1 Ω cm.

High-resistivity ruthenium oxide thin film fabrication and temperature sensor structure with high-resistivity ruthenium oxide thin film

A blade positioning system and method are provided to dynamically measure blade position during flight of a rotorcraft. In the context of a method, a blade of the rotorcraft is repeatedly illuminated by a light source during flight of the rotorcraft while the blade is rotating. The method also includes detecting radiation scattered from the blade in response to illumination of the blade. The method further includes determining at least one of a blade pitch angle, a blade flap angle, a blade leading position or a blade lagging position based upon the radiation that is scattered from the blade and detected. A rotorcraft is also provided that includes a chip-scale light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor configured to illuminate the plurality of blades while the blades are rotating in order to permit blade position to be measured or to illuminate terrain beneath the rotorcraft in order to provide an altitude measurement.

System and method for dynamically measuring blade position during flight of a rotorcraft

A vehicle, Lidar system and method of detecting an object is disclosed. The Lidar system includes a photonic chip, and a laser integrated into the photonic chip. The laser has a front facet located at a first aperture of the photonic chip to direct a transmitted light beam into free space. A reflected light beam that is a reflection of the transmitted light beam is received at the photonic chip and a parameter of the object is determined from a comparison of the transmitted light beam and the reflected light beam. A navigation system operates the vehicle with respect to the object based on a parameter of the object.

Chip-scale Lidar with enhanced range performance

A vehicle, Lidar system and method of detecting an object is disclosed. The Lidar system includes a photonic chip having an aperture, one or more photodetectors and a circulator. A transmitted light beam generated within the photonic chip exits the photonic chip via the aperture and a reflected light beam enters the photonic chip via the aperture, the reflected light beam being a reflection of the transmitted light beam from the object. The one or more photodetectors measure the parameter of the object from at least the reflected light beam. The circulator integrated into the photonic chip directs the transmitted light beam toward the aperture and directs the reflected light beam from the aperture to the one or more photodetectors. A navigation system navigates the vehicle with respect to the object based on the parameter of the object.

Lidar system with integrated circulator

A method of bonding a double-ended cable to a multi-tier substrate (such as a multi-tier printed circuit board) includes picking up the double-ended cable, and imaging alignment markers on a first head of the double-ended cable, a second substrate of the multi-tier substrate, a second head of the double-ended cable, and a first substrate of the multi-tier substrate. The method also includes aligning the alignment marker on the first head of the cable to the alignment marker on the second substrate of the multi-tier substrate, coupling the first head of the cable to the second substrate, and releasing the first head of the cable. The method further includes aligning the alignment marker on the second head of the cable to the alignment marker on the first substrate of the multi-tier substrate, coupling the second head of the cable to the first substrate, and releasing the second head of the cable.

System and method for bonding a cable to a substrate using a die bonder

A micro-optical bench includes a substrate having a multi-layer trench and a micro-lens aligned by and mounted to the substrate in the multi-layer trench.

Offset patterned micro-lens and micro-optical bench including the same

A chip-scale coherent lidar system includes a master oscillator integrated on a chip to simultaneously provide a signal for transmission and a local oscillator (LO) signal. The system also includes a beam steering device to direct an output signal obtained from the signal for transmission out of the system, and a combiner on the chip to combine the LO signal and a return signal resulting from a reflection of the output signal by a target. One or more photodetectors obtain a result of interference between the LO signal and the return signal to determine information about the target.

Chip-scale coherent lidar with integrated high power laser diode

A chip-scale LIDAR (light detection and ranging) system, optical package and LIDAR platform. The system includes a photonic chip, a laser associated with the photonic chip, an optical circulator, and a MEMS scanner. The laser, the optical circulator and the MEMS scanner are collinear. The photonic chip includes an edge coupler. The optical package includes a housing having an aperture, and a platform within the housing. The platform includes the laser, an optical circulator, and MEMS scanner.

Single MEMS mirror chip scale LIDAR

A photonic edge coupler includes a slab waveguide and a ridge waveguide. The ridge waveguide includes a silicon wire waveguide, which includes a tapered portion. A first end of the slab waveguide is joined to the ridge waveguide at a junction, and a second end of the slab waveguide forms a first facet. The ridge waveguide defines a longitudinal axis that is associated with a direction of a light signal therein. The first facet is angled at less than 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis associated with the direction of the light signal therein. The first facet is disposed opposite to a laser facet associated with a laser waveguide. The longitudinal axis of the ridge waveguide defines a first center point, and the laser facet and the associated laser waveguide define a second center point. The second center point is laterally offset from the first center point.

Photonic edge coupler

A lidar system includes a photonic chip including a light source and a transmit beam coupler to provide an output signal for transmission. The output signal is a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) signal. A transmit beam steering device transmits the output signal from the transmit beam coupler of the photonic chip. A receive beam steering device obtains a reflection of the output signal by a target and provides the reflection as a received signal to a receive beam coupler of the photonic chip. The photonic chip, the transmit beam steering device, and the receive beam steering device are heterogeneously integrated into an optical engine.

Heterogeneously integrated chip-scale lidar system

A LIDAR system, LIDAR chip and method of manufacturing a LIDAR chip. The LIDAR system includes a photonic chip configured to transmit a transmitted light beam and to receive a reflected light beam, a scanner for directing the transmitted light beam towards a direction in space and receiving the reflected light beam from the selected direction, and a fiber-based optical coupler. The photonic chip and the scanner are placed on a semiconductor integrated platform (SIP). The fiber-based optical coupler is placed on top of the photonic chip to optically couple to the photonic chip for directing the a transmitted light beam from the photonic chip to the scanner and for directing a reflected light beam from the scanner to the photonic chip.

Chip-scale LIDAR with a single 2D MEMS scanner

A chip-scale coherent lidar system includes a photonic chip that includes a light source, a transmit beam coupler to provide an output signal, and a receive beam coupler to receive a received signal based on a reflection of the output signal by a target. The system also includes a transmit beam steering device to transmit the output signal out of the system, and a receive beam steering device to obtain the received signal into the system. A transmit beam curved mirror reflects the output signal from the transmit beam coupler to the transmit beam steering device. A receive beam curved mirror reflects the received signal from the receive beam steering device to the receive beam coupler. The transmit beam curved mirror and the receive beam curved mirror are formed in a substrate that is heterogeneously integrated with the photonic chip.

Heterogeneous integration of curved mirror structure for passive alignment in chip-scale lidar

A continuous wave (CW) heterodyne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) air velocity sensor system that comprises a first light emitting structure arranged to send a signal light in a first direction in space; a second light emitting structure arranged to produce a local oscillator light having a wavelength different from the wavelength of the signal light by a predetermined wavelength; a receiver arranged to receive light from said first direction in space; and a first optical mixer for mixing the received light with said local oscillator light.

CW LIDAR wind velocity sensor for operation on a stratospheric vehicle

A lidar system includes a light source to generate a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) signal, and a waveguide splitter to split the FMCW signal into an output signal and a local oscillator (LO) signal. A transmit coupler provides the output signal for transmission. A receive lens obtains a received signal resulting from reflection of the output signal by a target. A waveguide coupler combines the received signal and the LO signal into a first combined signal and a second combined signal. A first phase modulator and second phase modulator respectively adjust a phase of the first combined signal and the second combined signal to provide a first phase modulated signal and a second phase modulated signal to a first photodetector and a second photodetector. A processor processes a first electrical signal and a second electrical signal from the first and second photodetectors to obtain information about the target.

Calibration and alignment of coherent lidar system

A laser receiver device and an associated input coupler are provided. In this regard, a chip-scale laser receiver device is provided that includes an input coupler that is configured to receive a gaussian beam. The input coupler includes a first waveguide having an optically-transparent material and a second waveguide coupled to the first waveguide. The second waveguide has a tapered configuration that tapers to a predetermined width across a length of not less than 500 micrometers. The input coupler further includes a third waveguide coupled to the second waveguide. The third waveguide has a tapered configuration that tapers to a predetermined width across a length of not less than 250 micrometers. The chip-scale laser receiver device further includes a bus optical waveguide coupled to receive a signal output from the input coupler, and to output a wavelength-multiplexed laser signal.

Input coupler for chip-scale laser receiver device

Growing community of inventors

Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Pamela R Patterson