An optical scanner includes a light source, an optical phased array, a monitoring light receiving unit, and a signal processing unit. The optical phased array implements scanning by a light beam by individually controlling phases of a plurality of branched lights into which light supplied from the light source is branched, using a scanning phase amount, and radiating light from an antenna array that has a plurality of antenna elements. The monitoring light receiving unit receives light radiated from the optical phased array. The signal processing unit detects characteristics of the light beam from a detection result of the monitoring light receiving unit and generate a phase adjustment amount for correcting the scanning phase amount such that a detection value of the characteristics coincides with a design value prepared in advance.

An optical scanner includes a light source, an optical phased array, a monitoring light receiving unit, and a signal processing unit. The optical phased array implements scanning by a light beam by individually controlling phases of a plurality of branched lights into which light supplied from the light source is branched, using a scanning phase amount, and radiating light from an antenna array that has a plurality of antenna elements. The monitoring light receiving unit receives light radiated from the optical phased array. The signal processing unit detects characteristics of the light beam from a detection result of the monitoring light receiving unit and generate a phase adjustment amount for correcting the scanning phase amount such that a detection value of the characteristics coincides with a design value prepared in advance.

A phase shifter includes a substrate layer, a cladding layer, and a waveguide. The phase shifter includes a waveguide and a heating element. The phase shifter includes a thermally conductive structure disposed on the cladding layer to disperse heat from the waveguide. The thermally conductive structure may include a metal strip disposed longitudinally along the beam, may include thermally conductive pads, and/or may include thermally conductive vias coupled between the cladding layer and the substrate layer. The phase shifter may be incorporated into light detection and ranging (LIDAR) devices, telecommunications devices, and/or computing devices.

A phase shifter includes a substrate layer, a cladding layer, and a waveguide. The phase shifter includes a waveguide and a heating element. The phase shifter includes a thermally conductive structure disposed on the cladding layer to disperse heat from the waveguide. The thermally conductive structure may include a metal strip disposed longitudinally along the beam, may include thermally conductive pads, and/or may include thermally conductive vias coupled between the cladding layer and the substrate layer. The phase shifter may be incorporated into light detection and ranging (LIDAR) devices, telecommunications devices, and/or computing devices.

An imaging method includes acquiring one or more passive light images of a scene. A region of interest in the scene is identified based on the one or more passive light images. One or more illumination zones of a plurality of illumination zones that collectively cover the region of interest is determined. Each illumination zone is sized according to active illumination emitted from a steerable illumination source. For a determined illumination zone of the one or more illumination zones, the illumination zone is individually illuminated with the active illumination from the steerable illumination source. For a pixel of a sensor array that maps to the illumination zone, a depth value of an object locus in the scene reflecting the active illumination back to the pixel is determined.

A method of measuring the concentration of a gas in a target environment using a laser lidar system, comprises directing a laser beam towards an environment containing the gas, tuning the laser wavelength over a wavelength range including the absorption line of the gas, and measuring intensity of laser light returned from the environment containing the gas, as a result of scattering as a function of time. The intensity vs time is then converted into gas absorption vs wavelength, and the gas absorption vs wavelength is used to determine the concentration of the gas in the target environment.

A method of measuring the concentration of a gas in a target environment using a laser lidar system, comprises directing a laser beam towards an environment containing the gas, tuning the laser wavelength over a wavelength range including the absorption line of the gas, and measuring intensity of laser light returned from the environment containing the gas, as a result of scattering as a function of time. The intensity vs time is then converted into gas absorption vs wavelength, and the gas absorption vs wavelength is used to determine the concentration of the gas in the target environment.

A LiDAR system including a laser amplification system is disclosed. The laser amplification system includes a laser source and an optical amplifier. The laser source has a laser cavity and is configured to output electromagnetic radiation. The optical amplifier includes quantum dots and is positioned outside the laser cavity to receive the electromagnetic radiation output from the laser source. The optical amplifier amplifies the received electromagnetic radiation using the quantum dots and outputs the amplified electromagnetic radiation.

A method of foreign object debris discrimination includes illuminating a particle located within a sensing volume with a modulated electromagnetic radiation pulse emitted from a source; receiving one or more electromagnetic radiation return signals that have been scattered by the particle illuminated by the modulated electromagnetic radiation pulse at a detector; mixing, using a controller, the electromagnetic radiation return signal of amplitude I.sub.RS and frequency f.sub.RS with a reference signal of amplitude I.sub.LS and frequency f.sub.RS; analyzing, using the controller, an amplitude of the mixed signal √{square root over (I.sub.LSI.sub.RS)}, and frequency of the mixed signal, f.sub.RS−f.sub.LS; and classifying, using the controller, a particle position, a velocity, and electromagnetic characteristic of the particle based on the amplitude, √{square root over (I.sub.LSI.sub.RS)}, and frequency, f.sub.RS−f.sub.LS of the mixed signal.

The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, systems and methods of optical sensing that utilize optimized processing of multiple sensing channels for efficient and reliable scanning of environments. The optical sensing includes multiple optical communication lines that include coupling portions configured to facilitate efficient collection of various received beams. The optical sensing system further includes multiple light detectors configured to process collected beams and produce data representative of a velocity of an object that generated the received beam and/or a distance to that object.