A compact 3D imaging laser radar system using Geiger-mode APD arrays: system and measurements

Richard M. Marino; Timothy Stephens; Robert E Hatch; Joseph L. McLaughlin; James G. Mooney; Michael E. O'Brien; Gregory S. Rowe; Joseph S. Adams; Luke Skelly; Robert C. Knowlton; Stephen E. Forman; W. Robert Davis

doi:10.1117/12.501581

21 August 2003 A compact 3D imaging laser radar system using Geiger-mode APD arrays: system and measurements

Richard M. Marino, Timothy Stephens, Robert E Hatch, Joseph L. McLaughlin, James G. Mooney, Michael E. O'Brien, Gregory S. Rowe, Joseph S. Adams, Luke Skelly, Robert C. Knowlton, Stephen E. Forman, W. Robert Davis

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5086, Laser Radar Technology and Applications VIII; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.501581
Event: AeroSense 2003, 2003, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

MIT Lincoln Laboratory continues the development of novel high-resolution 3D imaging laser radar technology and sensor systems. The sensor system described in detail here uses a passively Q-switched solid-state frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser to transmit short laser pulses (~ 700 ps FWHM) at 532 nm wavelength and derive the range to target surface element by measuring the time-of-flight for each pixel. The single photoelectron detection efficiency has been measured to be > 20 % using these Silicon Geiger-mode APDs at room temperature. The pulse out of the detector is used to stop a > 500 MHz digital clock integrated within the focal-plane array. With appropriate optics, the 32x32 array of digital time values represents a 3D spatial image frame of the scene. Successive image frames from the multi-kilohertz pulse repetition rate laser pulses are accumulated into range histograms to provide 3D volume and intensity information. In this paper, we report on a prototype sensor system, which has recently been developed using new 32x32 arrays of Geiger-mode APDs with 0.35 μm CMOS digital timing circuits at each pixel. Here we describe the sensor system development and present recent measurements of laboratory test data and field imagery.

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Richard M. Marino, Timothy Stephens, Robert E Hatch, Joseph L. McLaughlin, James G. Mooney, Michael E. O'Brien, Gregory S. Rowe, Joseph S. Adams, Luke Skelly, Robert C. Knowlton, Stephen E. Forman, and W. Robert Davis "A compact 3D imaging laser radar system using Geiger-mode APD arrays: system and measurements", Proc. SPIE 5086, Laser Radar Technology and Applications VIII, (21 August 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.501581

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