Ultrafast optical ranging using microresonator soliton frequency combs

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a chip-scale dual-comb LIDAR system using integrated Kerr-soliton frequency combs, achieving ultrafast, highly accurate distance measurements suitable for mass-market applications like autonomous vehicles.

Contribution

It introduces a novel integrated dual-comb LIDAR approach with record measurement speed and precision, suitable for scalable manufacturing and real-world deployment.

Findings

Achieved distance measurements with 12 nm Allan deviation at 14 μs averaging time.

Demonstrated ultrafast ranging at up to 100 MHz measurement rate.

Successfully sampled fast-moving air-gun projectiles at 150 m/s.

Abstract

Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) is critical to many fields in science and industry. Over the last decade, optical frequency combs were shown to offer unique advantages in optical ranging, in particular when it comes to fast distance acquisition with high accuracy. However, current comb-based concepts are not suited for emerging high-volume applications such as drone navigation or autonomous driving. These applications critically rely on LIDAR systems that are not only accurate and fast, but also compact, robust, and amenable to cost-efficient mass-production. Here we show that integrated dissipative Kerr-soliton (DKS) comb sources provide a route to chip-scale LIDAR systems that combine sub-wavelength accuracy and unprecedented acquisition speed with the opportunity to exploit advanced photonic integration concepts for wafer-scale mass production. In our experiments, we use a pair of free-running DKS combs, each providing more than 100 carriers for massively parallel synthetic-wavelength interferometry. We demonstrate dual-comb distance measurements with record-low Allan deviations down to 12 nm at averaging times of 14 $\mu$s as well as ultrafast ranging at unprecedented measurement rates of up to 100 MHz. We prove the viability of our technique by sampling the naturally scattering surface of air-gun projectiles flying at 150 m/s (Mach 0.47). Combining integrated dual-comb LIDAR engines with chip-scale nanophotonic phased arrays, the approach could allow widespread use of compact ultrafast ranging systems in emerging mass applications.