Phased array ultrasonics

Phased-array optics

Engineering

Aerospace engineering

Materials science

Automotive industry

Computer security

Systems engineering

Telecommunications

Computer science

Antenna (radio)

Photonics

Physics

Optics

Geography

Beam steering

Ranging

Artificial intelligence

Remote sensing

Lidar

Phased array

Perspective (graphical)

Optoelectronics

Key (lock)

IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics

This paper aims to review the state of the art of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors for automotive applications, and particularly for automated vehicles, focusing on recent advances in the field of integrated LiDAR, and one of its key components: the Optical Phased Array (OPA). LiDAR is still a sensor that divides the automotive community, with several automotive companies investing in it, and some companies stating that LiDAR is a `useless appendix'. However, currently there is not a single sensor technology able to robustly and completely support automated navigation. Therefore, LiDAR, with its capability to map in 3 dimensions (3D) the vehicle surroundings, is a strong candidate to support Automated Vehicles (AVs). This manuscript highlights current AV sensor challenges, and it analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the perception sensor currently deployed. Then, the manuscript discusses the main LiDAR technologies emerging in automotive, and focuses on integrated LiDAR, challenges associated with light beam steering on a chip, the use of Optical Phased Arrays, finally discussing current factors hindering the affirmation of silicon photonics OPAs and their future research directions.

A Review and Perspective on Optical Phased Array for Automotive LiDAR