Fast laser beam steering into multiple diffraction orders with a single digital micromirror device for time-of-flight lidar

The sampling rate and angular resolution of diffraction-based beam steering employing a digital micromirror device (DMD) can be simultaneously enhanced by at least an order of magnitude by synchronizing multiple nanosecond laser sources and pulses during each DMD actuation. A time-of-flight single-chip DMD lidar with three sources measures a range at a 3.34 kHz sampling rate and a 3.4 degrees angular resolution across a 48 degrees field of view. Employing multiple diffraction orders of the DMD improves the sampling rate at least by a factor of 2 and up to the number of diffraction orders supported by the DMD. An improved sampling rate of 6.68 kHz with a 9.6 degrees angular resolution is experimentally demonstrated by illuminating micromirrors multiple times within a single transition period of the micromirrors. (C)2020 Optical Society of America.12 month embargo; published 20 July 2020This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu