Conformal Coherent Optical Sensor

ABSTRACT: Freedom Photonics is proposing to develop novel photonic integrated components required to enable revolutionary new capabilities for conformal coherent LIDAR applications. Coherent LIDAR has by nature greatly enhanced capabilities in terms of available advanced systems architecture compared to the more conventional time-of-flight, photon counting LIDAR system.The developed components are key to enable low SWaP, distributed optical apertures which has the potential to greatly improve sensitivity, resolution and capability of comact LIDAR systems. BENEFIT: Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS) have shown to be very effective to carry out persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. A significant constraint in sensor implementation is the relatively small size and weight of SUAS. Thus, high performance sensors that offer low size, weight and power consumption (low SWaP) will be in high demand and as they are deployed in SUAS, they will multiply the capabilities of our defense forces many-fold. The revolutionary technology developed by Freedom Photonics will open up the possibility of implementing a distributed aperture LADAR, leading to a high resolution system capable of distinguishing an object hidden under foliage, while remaining conformal to the surface of the aircraft. Because of the high levels of photonic integration to be attempted, this high performance can be achieved while maintaining low SWaP, such that it can be integrated in a SUAS.