VCSEL Line-beam module for LiDAR applications

Due to the maturity of VCSEL supply chain promoted by the VCSEL applications in smart phones, and the increasing peak power of multi-junction VCSEL chip, VCSELs are considered to have great advantages and potential as the transmitter light sources of automotive low-cost LIDAR devices. Here we introduce a kind of VCSEL line-beam module with unique optical shaping design for LiDAR applications. The module has a uniform line beam with a peak power larger than 200W, a pulse width of 4ns, a divergence angle of 0.12 degrees@ 1/e2, and the vertical axis intensity uniformity is better than 80%. The experimental data showed that over a wide temperature range from - 40 degrees C to 110 degrees C the power variation of the line beam module is less than 20%, the variation of horizontal divergence angle is less than 5%, and the temperature drift coefficient is 0.066nm/degrees C, which greatly reduces the performance requirements of the receiver detector for the Lidar system. In addition, we introduce a prototype of new line-beam modules with peak power higher than 1000W we are developing, which can meet further requirement of long-distance LiDAR system.