Advanced Printed Circuit Board Design Methods for Compact Optical Transceiver

To meet the U.S. military needs for hardened laser-ranging sensors for munitions applications, a compact, high-repetition-rate, high-pulse-energy laser rangefinder will be developed consisting of a temperature-stabilized avalanche photodiode (APD) receiver, with a few photons equivalent sensitivity, and a miniature diode-pumped microchip laser. An existing integrated circuit design will be updated to integrate a majority of laser ranging functionality. The highly integrated hermetic photoreceiver and microchip laser will be integrated into a 2-cm x 3-cm package and demonstrated with optics to achieve range performance out to 1 km with cm-scale range accuracy. The ability to manufacture the sensor within the cost constraints required for the application will be demonstrated. Also, reliability and environmental testing will be performed to increase the technology readiness of the sensor, and controlled field tests will be conducted.