Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Three-dimensional sensing is critical for autonomous systems, robotics and industrial monitoring, motivating compact frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) LiDARs, which optically measure distance and velocity. However, current integrated designs using optical phased arrays (OPAs) for beam steering or focal-plane arrays (FPAs) for parallel reception face trade-offs in optical power, aperture and acquisition speed. Here we show a biaxial FMCW LiDAR that monolithically integrates an OPA transmitter and coherent FPA receiver with over 4500 functional components on separate optical paths, eliminating the need for circulators. A line-shaped beam enables agile steering, while a lens-assisted FPA provides a large receiving aperture and parallel single-wavelength readout. The system images at 20 m using 3.7 mW of emitted power, with 5 cm depth resolution and 1.4 mm/s velocity resolution. It produces point clouds at 10 frames per second (fps) and supports acquisition rates up to 41 fps, offering a compact and practical route towards integrated FMCW LiDAR.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Mathias Prost, Huaqing Qiu, Guillaume Croes, Manuel Reza, Jac Romme, Rainer Hornung, Javier Pérez Santacruz, Elbert Bechthum, Ziduo Lin, Jochem Govers, Pawel Bembnowicz, Brecht Berteloot, Esteban Venialgo, Erik Emmen, Felipe Pacheco de Oliveira, Shahzad Muzaffar, Evgenii Tiurin, Paul Mateman, Nicolas Chauvet, Peter Girouard, Tangla D. Kongnyuy, Mennatallah Kandil, Maliheh Ramezani, Puvendren Subramaniam, Padraic E. Morrissey, Sean Collins, Matthew L. Hall, Peter O’Brien, Noor Schilder, Christian Bachmann, Joost Brouckaert, Ruud Oldenbeuving, Dongjae Shin, Roelof Jansen, Peter Gerets, Marcus Dahlem
Institutions: IMEC, Imec the Netherlands, Tyndall National Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Instrumentation
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
Funder: European Commission
OpenAlex ID: W7208727954
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