<p>Detailed and accurate 3D mapping of dynamic environments is essential for machines to interface with their surroundings<sup><CitationRef AdditionalCitationIDS="CR2" CitationID="CR1">1</CitationRef>–<CitationRef CitationID="CR3">3</CitationRef></sup> and for human–machine interaction<sup><CitationRef CitationID="CR4">4</CitationRef>,<CitationRef CitationID="CR5">5</CitationRef></sup>. Although considerable effort has been made to create the equivalent of the complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor for the 3D world, scalable, high-performance, reliable solutions have proven elusive<sup><CitationRef AdditionalCitationIDS="CR7 CR8 CR9 CR10" CitationID="CR6">6</CitationRef>–<CitationRef CitationID="CR11">11</CitationRef></sup>. Focal plane array (FPA) sensors using frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) have shown potential to meet all of these requirements and also provide direct measurement of radial velocity as a fourth dimension. Previous demonstrations<sup><CitationRef CitationID="CR12">12</CitationRef>,<CitationRef CitationID="CR13">13</CitationRef></sup>, although promising, have not achieved the simultaneous scale and performance required by commercial applications. Here we present a large-scale, coherent LiDAR FPA enabled by comprehensive chip-scale optoelectronic integration. A 4D imaging camera is built around the FPA and used to acquire point clouds. At the core is a 352 × 176-pixel 2D FMCW LiDAR FPA comprising more than 0.6 million photonic components, all integrated on-chip together with their associated electronics. This represents a five times increase in pixel count with respect to previous demonstrations<sup><CitationRef CitationID="CR12">12</CitationRef></sup>. The pixel architecture combines the outbound and inbound optical paths within the pixel in a monostatic configuration, together with coherent detectors and electronics. Frequency-modulated light is directed sequentially to groups of pixels by in-plane thermo-optic switches with integrated electronics for driving and calibration. An integrated serial digital interface controls both optical switching and readout synchronously. Point clouds of objects ranging from 4 to 65 m with per-pixel integration time compatible with frame rates from 3 to 15 frames per second (fps) are shown. This result demonstrates the capabilities of FMCW LiDAR FPA sensors as enablers of ubiquitous, low-cost, compact coherent 4D imaging cameras.</p>

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A large-scale coherent 4D imaging sensor

  • Francesca Fabiana Settembrini,
  • Arif Can Gungor,
  • Andres Forrer,
  • Steven A. Fortune,
  • Alessandro Dell’Aquila,
  • Preethi Padmanabhan,
  • Ion E. Opris,
  • Moise Sotto,
  • Nikola Dordevic,
  • Yevgeny Perelman,
  • Thomas Christen,
  • Mi Wang,
  • Remus Nicolaescu

摘要

Detailed and accurate 3D mapping of dynamic environments is essential for machines to interface with their surroundings13 and for human–machine interaction4,5. Although considerable effort has been made to create the equivalent of the complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor for the 3D world, scalable, high-performance, reliable solutions have proven elusive611. Focal plane array (FPA) sensors using frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) have shown potential to meet all of these requirements and also provide direct measurement of radial velocity as a fourth dimension. Previous demonstrations12,13, although promising, have not achieved the simultaneous scale and performance required by commercial applications. Here we present a large-scale, coherent LiDAR FPA enabled by comprehensive chip-scale optoelectronic integration. A 4D imaging camera is built around the FPA and used to acquire point clouds. At the core is a 352 × 176-pixel 2D FMCW LiDAR FPA comprising more than 0.6 million photonic components, all integrated on-chip together with their associated electronics. This represents a five times increase in pixel count with respect to previous demonstrations12. The pixel architecture combines the outbound and inbound optical paths within the pixel in a monostatic configuration, together with coherent detectors and electronics. Frequency-modulated light is directed sequentially to groups of pixels by in-plane thermo-optic switches with integrated electronics for driving and calibration. An integrated serial digital interface controls both optical switching and readout synchronously. Point clouds of objects ranging from 4 to 65 m with per-pixel integration time compatible with frame rates from 3 to 15 frames per second (fps) are shown. This result demonstrates the capabilities of FMCW LiDAR FPA sensors as enablers of ubiquitous, low-cost, compact coherent 4D imaging cameras.