KEYWORDS: Semiconductor lasers, LIDAR, Signal to noise ratio, Receivers, Indium gallium arsenide, Reflectivity, Eye, Avalanche photodetectors, Visibility, Direct detection LIDAR, Time of flight imaging
We benchmark long range ToF LiDAR with laser emitter at 905nm vs. 1550nm. Based on IEC eye safety standards, a high-power laser diode at 1550nm with 100W peak power can deliver 80 times more photon count compared to 905nm out of a LiDAR emitter. Considering detection distance, target reflectivity, and atmospheric media loss, a LiDAR with such power output at 1550nm can outperform 905nm by more than 60 times in SNR and 24 times higher in detection probability at a distance longer than 200m. At longer range of 250m, a single 1550nm emitter can function nicely in both clear sky and low visibility conditions with 20% target reflectivity. To achieve such high performance at 1550nm an innovative multi-junction laser structure has been developed. We present a triple junction high-power laser diode at 1550nm based on AlInGaAs/InP materials. The laser stacks three AlInGaAs lasers epitaxially connected by two tunnel junctions and grown on InP substrate. The monolithic laser structure with tunnel junction layers is designed in a way to reduce the stress and improve the heat dissipation. Each tunnel junctions is formed with an n-type InGaAs layer and a ptype InGaAs layer. The active area of each junction comprises AlInGaAs barrier and quantum well layers. The design leads to three times the output power of a single junction laser and reaches 1W/A slope efficiency. Over 100W peak optical power at 100A with a 350m aperture and 10 nsec pulse width is demonstrated. A low operating voltage is achieved with such triple junction design, thus the wall-plug efficiency is two times better. Given the required detection distance over 200m, a long-range LiDAR with a triple-junction 1550nm laser diode may enable high-speed autonomous vehicles with confidence.
We present a triple junction high power laser diode at 1550nm based on AlInGaAs/InP material system. The device was developed, fabricated, and tested. The laser stacks three AlInGaAs lasers epitaxially connected by two tunnel junctions and grown on InP substrate. The monolithic laser structure with tunnel junction layers is designed in a way to reduce the stress and improve the heat dissipation. Each tunnel junctions is formed with an n-type InGaAs layer and a p-type InGaAs layer. The active area of each junction comprises AlInGaAs barrier and quantum well layers. The design leads to three times the output power of a single junction laser and reaches 1W/A slope efficiency. We demonstrate over 100W peak optical output power at 100A with a 350m aperture and 10 nsec pulse width. A low operating voltage can be achieved with such triple junction design, thus the wall-plug efficiency is two times better. The monolithic triple junction with overall small source size allows efficient optic or fiber coupling, and is an ideal source for applications such as long range LiDAR. Using this new triple junction 1550nm laser diode we benchmark against 905nm in a single-emitter LiDAR for performance comparison. By considering eye safety standards, distance, target reflectivity, and atmospheric loss, the photon budget of 1550nm triple junction can be 80 times more than 905nm. With such advantage, a LiDAR with the new 1550nm triple junction can outperform 905nm by more than 60 times in SNR and more than 24 times in detection probability at a distance longer than 200m.
Laser therapy is becoming an increasingly popular method of treating numerous dermatological conditions. The widespread use of these devices is often limited by the cost and size. Low cost, portable lasers would expand the laser market further into homes, general practitioners, dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and 3rd world countries. There are numerous light devices currently on the market for hair removal and growth, acne reduction, and wrinkles. In this paper, those efforts being made to develop manufacturing partners to lower the cost while increasing the production volume of long wavelength lasers will be discussed along with performance data and clinical results.
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