SBIR Phase I: A Variable Dynamic Range Detector System For Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) Measurements

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to develop a new Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) detector system, which will measure signals over seven orders of magnitude with a digitization resolution of better than 1 percent (from a single laser pulse). The detector system hopes to bridge the gap between analog to digital converters and photon counting systems. The intellectual merit of the system is in the way it combines state of the art logarithmic amplifiers, variable gain on the detectors and traditional photon counting (for very low signals). A microprocessor will be used to process the data and provide a high-speed Internet connection. The final detector system should be relatively inexpensive and will improve LIDAR scanning and miniaturization possibilities. The same design could also be applied to multi-channel detectors allowing scanning LIDAR remote sensing spectral studies (fluorescence, Raman, Differential absorption).