High reflectivity and fine resolution for optical phased array based solid-state LiDAR

Optical phased array (OPA) based solid-state LiDAR is proposed by a dual-gate structure on an active metasurface. The dual-gate structure features upper and lower electrodes, an oxide layer, and the indium tin oxide (ITO) layer. The core of design is the ITO layer within the metasurface. When subjected to an applied voltage, the ITO transitions from dielectric to metallic behavior, enabling dynamic optical phase modulation. The dual-gate structure supports modulation rates in the GHz range, significantly outperforming traditional mechanical scanning systems, which operate at kHz levels. In summary, the dual-gate structure of the OPA-based solid-state LiDAR features compactness, high-speed operation, and excellent stability. It achieves up to 85% reflectivity and phase modulation resolution as fine as 0.1 degrees within a 0 to 360-degree phase modulation range. The dual-gate structure of the OPA based solid-state LiDAR may be useful for the next-generation autonomous driving and high-performance environmental sensing systems.