A Fast-Recovery Transimpedance Amplifier with Ambient Light Cancellation for Automotive LiDAR Systems
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: To address the challenges of ambient light interference and slow overload recovery in transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) for automotive Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) systems, this paper proposes a high-performance TIA with integrated ambient light cancellation and fast recovery capabilities. The core design includes an adaptive ambient light cancellation (ALC) loop that eliminates background currents up to 3 mA without relying on AC coupling capacitors, achieving a low-frequency cutoff frequency of 321 kHz to ensure the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of weak target signals. A multi-stage clamping and current transfer mechanism is employed to realize rapid overload recovery: under 100 mA heavy overload conditions, the recovery time is controlled around 8.7 ns, and the pulse broadening is limited to 2.7 ns, avoiding measurement blind zones. Implemented in a 0.18-μm SiGe BiCMOS process, the proposed TIA occupies a compact area of 0.15 mm2, with a transimpedance gain of 80 dBΩ (10 kΩ) and a −3 dB bandwidth of 421 MHz. The input-referred noise current spectral density is 4.7 pA/Hz, and the integrated equivalent input noise current from 1 Hz to 250 MHz is 73.6 nArms. Operating over a temperature range of −40 ℃ to 125 ℃, the TIA meets the rigorous requirements of automotive-grade applications. Performance comparisons with commercial products and state-of-the-art designs demonstrate its competitive ambient light rejection and fast recovery capabilities, validating its potential for use in direct time-of-flight (dToF) LiDAR systems for autonomous driving.
Source: Electronics
Institution: Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Language: English
Subfield: Instrumentation
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
OpenAlex ID: W7128399754
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