Currently, in systems using photonic integrated circuits (PIC), not many integrated options for lasers on-chip are available. So generally, off-chip devices (pig-tailed lasers, etc) or underperforming on-chip devices are used. From both price and performance point of view, this is an undesirable situation. Especially, for automotive-grade solid-state FMCW LiDAR systems, the elephant in the room is generally ignored; the optical output power generated by the laser is too low, and/or the mode-hop free tuning is too little and too slow. In this presentation, we will show designs that offer a customized laser suitable for FMCW LiDAR, with powers only limited by nonlinear effects in the PIC platform, wavelength tuning ranges of over 100 nm and laser linewidths and chirp ranges appropriate to that of a distance measurement of 300 m (source to target). Our current hybrid integration solution is targeted at c-band, but the approach is valid for all wavelengths for which the PIC platform is transparent.
Ruud is an all-round expert in laser physics, specialized in hybrid integration of passive and active photonic integrated circuits. He has worked for almost 15 years in the field of Silicon Nitride integrated photonics. In addition, he has about 20 years of experience with nearly any type of laser: from Terawatt pulsed laser systems to microwatt external cavity diode lasers. He pioneered the record-breaking ultra-narrow linewidth tunable lasers that combine low-loss Si3N4 waveguides with high power InP gain sections, which are currently commercialized by several international companies. To achieve the best customer experience, he combined active and passive photonic integrated circuits, electronics, packaging and software to build photonic integrated systems.