Narrow Linewidth Tunable Laser Source for Coherent LiDAR

Why Coherent LiDAR Needs a Narrow-Linewidth Laser

Coherent LiDAR is a measurement technique before it is a product, and the measurement it performs is interferometric. In an FMCW architecture, light returning from the target is mixed with a reference sweep, and range and velocity are read from the resulting beat signal.

That only works while the returning light stays coherent with the reference. If the source’s linewidth is too wide, coherence is lost before the light comes back, and phase noise smears the beat signal the whole system depends on.

So in coherent LiDAR, source linewidth is not a secondary specification. It sets the limits on range and resolution before any optics or signal processing are designed.

The Narrow Linewidth Tunable Laser’s Role in Coherent LiDAR R&D

For LiDAR development teams, this sub-1 kHz linewidth tunable laser is the clean reference source for chirp research. It lets designers evaluate FMCW chirp architectures, linearisation methods and candidate lasers without the reference itself limiting the result.

Why Sub-1 kHz Linewidth Matters for LiDAR Range and Resolution

Linewidth sets coherence length, which caps the maximum usable range. Phase noise broadens the beat peak, which sets range resolution. A sub-1 kHz source pushes both limits well past typical automotive, industrial and wind-sensing distances.

• Results that reflect your design: measured resolution reflects the chirp and signal processing, not the laser.
• Cleaner linearisation work: with negligible phase noise from the reference, chirp nonlinearity is the main remaining effect, so it can be isolated and corrected.
• Fair benchmarking: candidate lasers can be compared against a reference that adds almost no uncertainty of its own.

Built for LiDAR Development from Bench to Vehicle

LiDAR programmes move from optical bench experiments to integrated prototypes and vehicle or field trials, and results need to stay comparable across every stage.

One laser family across stages

The same laser is available in CoBrite DX, DX2 and MX chassis, so teams can keep one source family from early bench work through to vehicle trials instead of re-qualifying a new source at each step.

Multi-port racks

Multi-port chassis keep several sources on one shared thermal and mechanical platform, which suits experiments that need more than one stable laser at a time.

Repeatable, automated test runs

Repeatable wavelength setting, low drift and programmatic control let chirp and resolution tests run automatically and repeat exactly, so results from different days and setups stay comparable.

Eye-safe 1550 nm band

Operation in the 1550 nm band keeps the work in the eye-safe region that has become the standard for coherent LiDAR.

Building a Complete Coherent LiDAR Test Bench

On a LiDAR development bench, the laser sits in a CoBrite DX, DX2 or MX chassis as the reference source. The ID OSA Optical Spectrum Analyser confirms its linewidth and side-mode suppression before chirp work begins, so every later measurement starts from a verified reference. For coherent detection experiments, the CORX Coherent Optical IQ Receiver uses a matched narrow-linewidth laser as its local oscillator, and the OMFT IQ Reference Transmitter uses the laser as its optical carrier when modulated test signals are needed.

Building the bench around one verified reference keeps every measurement traceable back to a known-good source.

Who Uses It

• Automotive LiDAR and photonics R&D teams
• Autonomous sensing developers
• Industrial and wind-sensing LiDAR developers
• University and research laboratories working on coherent LiDAR

Supply and Support in India

United Spectrum Instruments (USI), Chennai, is the authorised distributor for ID Photonics GmbH in India. USI supplies this narrow linewidth tunable laser together with the CoBrite chassis options, ID OSA, CORX receiver and OMFT transmitter.

Chassis compatibility, wavelength-band selection, calibration support and after-sales service sit with one accountable supplier. Guidance at the specification stage also helps LiDAR teams choose the right chassis and channel count for each stage of development.

Request a Configuration

Download the brochure from this page, use the Enquire Now button, write to sales@unitedspectrum.in, or call +91 93631 83748 / +91 97899 04948. Please mention:

• LiDAR architecture: FMCW or other coherent scheme
• Target range and resolution
• Number of sources required
• Development stage: bench, prototype or vehicle trial
• Preferred chassis format