High Dynamic Range Real-Time LIDAR Digitizer and Processor

Current LIDAR systems utilize photon shot noise limited detectors but the overall systems performance and application space is hindered with readout electronics that are lacking in terms of temporal resolution, dynamic range, SWAP or cost. In order to overcome this limitation, Systems and Technology Research (STR) will be applying a novel ADC architecture to create a 2 GSPS, 19-bit digitizer for LIDAR applications. COTS components will be used to minimize the cost as well as prototyping to product cycle. STRs proprietary algorithms will be implemented on the digitizer to perform real time calibration between the transmitted laser pulses. By using the proposed architecture and calibration algorithms we will increase the digitizers performance to match the photon shot noise limited front end photodetectors. With the concept demonstrated in Phase I, Phase II will focus on prototyping SWAP and cost efficient instrument.