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TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE INNOVATION SOLUTIONS
Eyesafe Laser Rangefinders & 3D Imaging Lidar Sensors and Components
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Our eyesafe laser ranging and lidar imaging products efficiently capture accurate geospatially referenced 3D images of scenes, over long ranges and in adverse conditions—revolutionizing the way people, instruments and vehicles interact with each other and their environments.
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T A B L E O F C ON T E N T STable of Contents ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Contact Information .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Core Advantage .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Laser Ranging and Laser Imaging Innovation .................................................................................................................................... 4 Eyesafe Rangefinding, 3D Scanned Lidar, and Flash Lidar Imaging ................................................................................................... 4 Vertical Integration ........................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Products, Services & Other Applications of the Technology ..................................................................................................................... 4 High‐Gain, Low‐Excess‐Noise SWIR APDs ......................................................................................................................................... 4 InGaAs APD Arrays ............................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Single‐photon APD Detector (SPAD) Imagers ................................................................................................................................... 4 APD Photoreceivers .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5 CMOS Amplification and Signal‐processing ASICs ............................................................................................................................. 5 Q‐switched Pulsed 1535‐nm Lasers .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Eyesafe Laser Rangefinders ............................................................................................................................................................... 5 Flash Lidar, and Dual‐mode Laser Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs) and Imagers ....................................................................................... 5 Time‐to‐Digital Converters (TDCs) .................................................................................................................................................... 5
Customers & Markets ................................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Automotive ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Construction and Excavation ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 Mapping ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Asset Management ........................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Facilities ..................................................................................................................................................................................................57
Contact Information Voxtel Opto
15985 NW Schendel Avenue Beaverton, OR 97006 USA
+1 971 223 5646 | www.voxtel‐inc.com
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DatasheetsEyesafe 1534-nm LRFs......................................................................................................................................................................7
Eyesafe LRF Modules for Original Equipment Manufacturers........................................................................................................16 LRF System-Integrator Kits............................................................................................................................................................26DPSS 1534-nm Pulsed Micro-Lasers...............................................................................................................................................33 ROX™ InGaAs APD Photoreceivers.................................................................................................................................................41
Narrow-Profile Eyesafe LRF Modules for Original Equipment Manufacturers...............................................................................10
C O R E A D V AN T AG EOur custom miniature pulsed eyesafe lasers, highly sensitive short wavelength infrared (SWIR) photoreceivers, and ultra‐precise integrated circuits, allow us to integrate cost‐effective, small‐sized, lightweight, low‐power laser ranging and lidar imaging sensors with unsurpassed performance.
Laser Ranging and Laser Imaging Innovation
For almost two decades, VoxtelOpto has maintained focus on innovating technologies for eyesafe laser ranging and lidar imaging. Today, no other company has the experience, in‐house technological expertise, end‐to‐end component design and system engineering, electro‐optical manufacturing capabilities, and application domain knowledge.
Our technologies include the highest‐performance near infrared (NIR) and SWIR avalanche photodiode (APD) detectors and detector arrays in the world, novel ultra‐miniature eyesafe q‐switched lasers, and custom pulse‐processing and time‐to‐digital‐converter (TDC) integrated circuits (ICs). Our custom APD photoreceivers are industry’s most sensitive. This allows us to obtain range images, at long distances, or over wider field of view, with less laser power, in all‐weather conditions. The combination of highly sensitive detectors and high‐peak‐power eyesafe lasers, combined with our custom ICs, and electro‐optical packaging expertise, allow cost‐effective, compact laser ranging sensors to be built.
Our ability to identify and bring new technologies to market quickly and reliably makes VoxtelOpto one of the top laser‐imaging‐technology companies in the world. By balancing stability and flexibility, we continue to earn our strong reputation as quick, nimble problem solvers and expert product developers. We successfully navigate our customer’s complex multi‐dimensional imaging needs with a proven record of delivering robust, compact, and cost‐effective solutions.
Eyesafe Rangefinding, 3D Scanned Lidar, and Flash Lidar Imaging
Systems that transmit laser beams through open air can be hazardous to the eye. At an eye‐sensitive wavelength, even a low‐power visible laser can be focused into an extremely small spot on the retina, resulting in localized burning and permanent damage. Unlike most other laser ranging and 3D lidar systems, ours use lasers that meet the stringent emission requirements for Class‐1 lasers, by operating in the eyesafe SWIR range at 1535 nm. At this wavelength, the maximum permissible eye exposure is as much as a million times greater than in the NIR spectral region. This allows us to use higher photon flux densities to obtain images faster and at longer ranges, in much smaller, lighter packages. And, because light scatters less at this spectrum, our products are less susceptible to fog, rain, snow and other degraded visual conditions—directly translating into safety for our users.
Vertical Integration
We maintain vertical technology integration with a breadth of custom component technologies, including InGaAs APD detectors, APD detector arrays, silicon single‐photon APD detector (SPAD) arrays, CMOS and bi‐CMOS pulse‐processing and picosecond‐scale accurate timing circuits, ultra‐miniature q‐switched eyesafe lasers, and complex opto‐mechanical and opto‐electronic system engineering.
These in‐house capabilities allow us to rapidly innovate and integrate cost‐effective, small‐sized laser ranging and 3D lidar imaging systems that have unsurpassed performance, giving integrators the ability to design and deliver superior products.
P RODU C T S , S E R V I C E S & O T H E R A P P L I C A T I O N S O F T H E T E C HNO LOG YHigh‐Gain, Low‐Excess‐Noise SWIR APDs
Unlike common APDs, which have noisy avalanche gain, our custom‐engineered, industry‐leading advanced InGaAs APDs offer extremely low dark current and half the excess noise, providing superior range and false‐alarm performance. Sensitive over the 900 – 1700‐nm spectrum, including the eyesafe spectral region beyond 1300 nm, our high‐gain, low‐excess‐noise APDs can enable sensitivities approaching a single photon.
InGaAs APD Arrays
Our APD arrays—which can be offered in formats up to 1K x 1K—use backside illumination to achieve low capacitance, high speed and low dark noise.
Single‐photon APD Detector (SPAD) Imagers
Our emerging series of large‐format visible and near‐infrared digital SPAD imagers, integrate our leading ASIC amplification and readout circuits, with highly efficient, low‐noise SPADs in dense large‐format imaging arrays. Our SPAD technology has the world’s highest detection efficiency at the lowest dark‐count rates. Our emerging line of near‐infrared‐sensitive and back‐illuminated SPADs are designed to serve near‐infrared lidar and low‐light‐level imaging applications.
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APD Photoreceivers
Our APD photoreceivers—that integrate our high‐gain APDs and low‐noise ASICs—provide state‐of‐the‐art sensitivity enabling laser‐pulse‐energy requirements to be reduced by a factor of at least 30 compared to PIN photodiode receivers, and at least 5 compared to competitor APD photoreceivers. To achieve the stable gain required for the highest‐sensitivity imaging capabilities of our APD photoreceiverss—especially at higher temperature operation, where impact ionization would otherwise decrease, leading to unstable gain witnessed as noise—temperature is monitored thousands of times per second and APD bias is optimized by a microcontroller.
CMOS Amplification and Signal‐processing ASICs
Our ASICs are directly bonded to single elements for range finding and scanned lidar applications, or are configured as two‐dimensional multiplexed readout integrated circuits (ROICs) ROICs for hybridized flash lidar focal plane arrays. Our integrated‐circuit design team achieves low‐noise, high‐speed (e.g., GHz‐rate) detector signal processing, densely integrated analog and digital circuit functions, TDCs and analog‐to‐digital converters (ADCs) on a single full‐custom CMOS integrated circuit. This unique capability offers tremendous leverage in many applications, including highly sensitive active imaging and lidar, where performance demands integral design of the detector and ROIC.
Q‐switched Pulsed 1535‐nm Lasers
To engender eyesafe laser ranging and imaging applications, we developed our high‐peak‐power diode‐pumped solid‐state (DPSS) laser transmitters with approximately 5‐ns pulses, offered in models with pulse energies ranging from 10 μJ to 1 mJ and pulse rates ranging from 1 Hz to 500 kHz. These lasers are qualified to MIL‐STD‐883, MIL‐STD‐810, and MIL‐STD‐202.
Eyesafe Laser Rangefinders
Answering the previously unmet need for a cost‐effective eyesafe LRFs, small and lightweight enough for handheld or unmanned vehicle integration, with a capability to range to long distances, our ROX™ series of micro laser rangefinder (μLRF) has established a new class of rangefinder that offers eyesafe operation and high performance in a small, lightweight package that includes an integrated attitude and heading reference sensing (AHRS), allowing accurate geospatially referenced range data.
Flash Lidar, and Dual‐mode Laser Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs) and Imagers
Leveraging our ROIC design experience, we have developed a series of sophisticated dual‐mode FPAs that, in each pixel, include: time‐of‐flight and partial‐ or full‐waveform sampling for flash lidar applications, or passive imaging and active laser pulse detection
Time‐to‐Digital Converters (TDCs)
Our broad portfolio of TDCs—from a single channel to as many as 1,024 signal channels—can record pulse arrival times with accuracies to 10 picoseconds and below.
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C U S T OME R S & MA R K E T SOur customer‐focused innovation and expertise allow superior‐performance products to be built that locate, map and manage assets, perform autonomous navigation, and offer automobile driver assistance and collision avoidance.
Automotive
Emerging markets for driver‐assistance and autonomous‐automobile navigation systems are being enabled by the small‐package, low‐power, high‐performance 3D imaging of our eyesafe lasers and detectors. Advanced driver‐assistance systems—such as adaptive cruise control and parking and collision‐avoidance systems, as well as other active driver‐assistance systems—provide a more comfortable driving experience, prevent crashes, and reduce the severity of accidents when they do occur. Equipped with our lidar technologies, tomorrow’s advanced driver‐assistance systems will lead a new era a self‐driving platoons of cars that provide significant benefits to society by minimizing safety hazards, reducing fuel consumption, increasing lane capacity, and decreasing traffic delays. Today, the inefficiency of human‐driven vehicles leads to considerable congestion, which costs Americans 4.8B hours of time, 1.9B gallons of wasted fuel, and $101B in combined delay and fuel costs. Within the decade, automobile platooning systems are planned, wherein automated cars train behind piloted cars—increasing highway lane capacity by up to 500%, with each 10% reduction in infrastructure investment resulting in savings of $7.5B per year.
In the next few years, autonomous taxis and delivery vehicles will benefit from our eyesafe lidar imagers, reducing urban traffic and increasing safety.
Construction and Excavation
In a typical large construction project, tracking onsite resources and monitoring the status of construction activity consumes as much as 1% of the budget. Our eyesafe 3D‐imaging solutions simplify resource tracking and site monitoring by enabling the creation of accurate, real‐time 3D real‐life representations (maps, models) of construction sites and interior spaces—including all contents—for assessment and evaluation. This also makes it practicable to monitor and assess hazardous environments where human intervention would be impossible. Compared to current practices, our solutions provide the timely knowledge of project status faster, with less cost and without impacting existing operations.
Drawn as Built: As‐built drawing is a key factor for management of modern complex facilities. As‐built surveys using 3D laser scanning technologies provide users with detailed point clouds that enable 3D modeling for diverse tasks including building reconstruction, plant layout and enhanced data presentation with augmented reality.
Mapping
VoxtelOpto’s products enable lidar to be one of the quickest and most accurate methods to produce an accurate digital elevation map (DEM) for engineering surveys of roads, forests, flood plains, and other terrain or assets. Specialized 3D rendering software extracts and enhances detailed surface‐elevation models from lidar data for applied analysis.
Corridor Mapping: Our accurate, geo‐registered 3D lidar images enable global lidar surveys that aid considerably in
constructing and/or improving primary and secondary roadways.
Flood‐Risk Mapping: Using a lidar‐derived DEM, hydrologists can predict flood extents and plan mitigation and remediation strategies. Airborne laser mapping can be a fast, reliable, cost‐effective method to obtain 3D data suitable for creating DEMs.
Oil & Gas Exploration Surveys: The oil‐and‐gas industry relies on rapid delivery of time‐sensitive data relating the x‐, y ‐, and z‐ positions of terrain data for exploration programs. Typically, surveys for the oil‐and‐gas industry are conducted using either a fixed‐wing or helicopter‐mounted lidar system, based on the size, terrain, and vegetation coverage of the project area.
Powerline Transmission or Pipeline‐corridor Planning: Lidar technology lends itself particularly well to transmission‐line surveys, especially if the data‐acquisition system is mounted in a helicopter.
Coastal‐zone Mapping: Traditional photogrammetry is sometimes difficult to use in areas of limited contrast and featureless terrain, such as beaches and various littoral zones.
Asset Management
Our 3D‐imaging technologies address the unmet needs of a vast array of markets:
Real Estate Development: Traditional ground surveying for real‐estate development is time consuming and labor intensive.
Forestry: Foresters and natural‐resource managers require easier methods to obtain accurate data of tree height and density, as well as the terrain and topography beneath tree canopy.
Urban Modeling: In urban environments, conventional modeling techniques are plagued by shadowing. Many applications—including telecommunications, wireless communications, law enforcement, and disaster planning—require accurate digital models of urban environments. Using the proper operational parameters, our lidar systems can accurately map urban environments without shadowing.
Wetlands and Other Restricted‐access Areas: Environmentally sensitive areas, such as wetlands, wildlife reserves, and protected forest areas—as well as hazardous areas, such as toxic‐waste sites or industrial‐waste dumps—are difficult to map using conventional ground or photogrammetric techniques.
Security and Change Detection: VoxtelOpto’s eyesafe 3D imaging solutions enable the creation of plans that model every object in a space—including desks, chairs, stairs, and doors. The maps are geo‐located—that is, the real‐world positions of each area of the building and its contents are known—which allows for built‐in real‐time monitoring and change detection in robotic tools.
Misc: Other miscellaneous LIDAR applications include: property assessment, where county‐wide mapping programs are being supported by LIDAR; airport exclusion zones, where landing and takeoff zones are mapped with LIDAR to detect obstructions that rise above regulatory height restrictions.
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1534-NM LASER RANGEFINDER TURNKEY LRF
Voxtel’s turnkey 1534-nm laser rangefinder (LRF) is a new class of
high‑performance, non-ITAR restricted rangefinder designed for long
range and high accuracy range measurements in an extremely
compact, lightweight, and low-power system. The LRF includes a
small‑form‑factor 1534-nm diode‑pumped solid‑state (DPSS) laser,
Voxtel’s highly sensitive ROX™ InGaAs avalanche photodiode (APD)
receiver, and custom amplification and pulse-processing circuits,
which achieve industry’s highest sensitivity. The combination of the
state-of-the-art APD receiver, and the low‑divergence
diffraction‑limited DPSS laser pulses achieves extremely long standoff
range with sub-150-mm range precision using a small-sized package.
The LRF can deliver optimized performance over a wide temperature
range and under a variety of conditions including: direct sunlight,
cover, night operation and low visibility—including fog, rain and snow.
Each LRF is calibrated at the factory to provide optimal performance
over a -45 °C to 65 °C temperature range. To provide ideal operation
in variable conditions, a serial command set is used with a USB
interface. This allows fast and easy control and dynamic configuration
of the LRF. The controller can be flexibly configured for: time-variable-
threshold (TVT) operation, to reduce false alarms due to nearfield
scattering time‑over-threshold (TOT), to reduce amplitude-
dependent time-walk errors auto-calibration, to enable a
user‑defined false‑alarm rate (FAR) in changing background optical
radiation levels multi-pulse processing, to enhance range and
resolution passive operation, to measure the pulse-repetition
frequency (PRF) of external lasers.
The LRF is powered using a lithium-ion polymer (LiPo) battery. More
than 200,000 range events are possible before battery recharging is
necessary. The battery is charged using the micro-USB connector.
Voxtel Literature Turnkey LRF 20Mar2019 ©. Voxtel makes no warranty or
representation regarding its products’ specific application suitability and may
make changes to the products described without notice.
EAR 99: NOT ITAR CONTROLLED
FEATURES
• Long Range: 3 km (100 µJ)/5 km (300 µJ)
• Fine Range Precision: Better than
150‑mm single-shot or 50-mm multi-pulse
• Easy to operate: Factory calibrated and
automated to optimize range
performance from -45 °C to 65 °C
• Low Noise-Equivalent Input (NEI): As little
as 35 photons
• Excellent beam quality: M2 < 1.15 x DL,
where DL is the diffraction limit
• Programmable Operating Modes:
o Time-variable Threshold (TVT): Reduces
false alarms due to nearfield scattering
o Programmable Threshold: User-set or
auto-calibrated to background flux
o Enhanced Performance: Multi-pulse
processing for extended range and
increased precision
o Range Walk Correction: Time-over-
threshold (TOT) calibration reduces
range errors due to pulse amplitude
variation.
o Passive PRF Decoding: Allows the
frequency of other sensed lasers to be
determined
ORDERING INFORMATION
• FUKJ-KGAC: 100-μJ laser, 3-km range
• FUMJ-KGAC: 300-μJ laser, 5-km range
CONTACT INFO
VOXTEL INC.
15985 NW SCHENDEL AVE #200
BEAVERTON, OR 97006
971-223-5642
WWW.VOXTEL-INC.COM
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SPECIFICATIONS Model FUKJ- KGAC FUMJ- KGAC
Voxtel laser model number LAK0-EX0C LAK0-FX0C
Voxtel APD photoreceiver model number RUC1-KIAC RUC1-KIAC
Laser Pulse energy 100 μJ 300 μJ
Measurement range1 3 km 5 km
Maximum measurement rate (multi-pulse) 10 Hz 10 Hz
Minimum range distance2 10 meters
Range precision (single-shot/multi-shot)3,4 150 mm / 50 mm
Maximum number of targets 4
Minimum target separation2 5 meters
Transmitter
Eye safety / classification Class 1 (EN 60825-1: 2007)
Laser type DPSS
Operating wavelength 1534 nm
Spectral line width (FWHM) < 0.02 nm
Wavelength shift with temperature +0.014 nm/+°C
Beam quality (M2) 1.15 x DL
Beam divergence, full angle (1/e2) < 0.95 mrad < 0.70 mrad
Pulse duration (ns) 4 ns 7 ns
Receiver
Receiver aperture area 20 mm x 18 mm
Detector type InGaAs APD
APD responsivity (M = 1)5 1.1 A/W
APD gain (M) 1 – 20
Excess noise [F(M)]6 keff < 0.18
Noise equivalent input (NEI) 35 photons 40 photons
Boresight Aiming Laser
Operating wavelength 650 nm
Power 5 mW
Eye safety Class 3R
Range (day/night) 30 meters/ 250 meters
Electrical—Micro-USB Data Interface
Pin 1 +5VDC CMOS
Pin 2 Data - (3.3 V CMOS)
Pin 3 Data + (3.3 V CMOS)
Pin 4 Floating as a USB device (not connected; slaved to host)
Pin 5 Signal Ground
Power
Power source Rechargeable LiPO Battery
During standby and ranging 80 mW
Max power during battery recharge 1.7 W 2 W
Mechanical
Weight 206.2 g 212.5 g
Operating Conditions
Operating temperature -45 °C to +65 °C
Operating humidity 90%
Storage temperature -55 °C to +85 °C
Water resistance (rating) IP64
Lifetime (MTTF) >50 million shots
1 2.3 x 2.3-m2 target; single-shot, 30% reflectivity 2 Less than 10X NEI 3 When calibrated with TOT 4 Pulse returns 10X the NEI and greater 5 1534-nm spectral response 6 Parameterization of McIntyre equation: F(M) = keff M + (1 - keff)(2 - 1/M)
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DIMENSIONS
SOFTWARE
The LRF can be easily programmed using the simple serial communications command set over USB interface. User-
programmable features include:
The latest device drivers and firmware can be downloaded at voxtel-inc.com.
To configure and operate the LRF, serial commands can be sent from a host processor. The available commands can
be found in the Voxtel document LRF Software ICD: Modules, Kits, and Components.
To configure and operate the LRF using a terminal emulator of a graphical user interface, see the Quick Start section
of the Voxtel document LRF User Manual: Modules, Kits, and Components.
LITHIUM-ION POLYMER (LIPO) BATTERY
The LRF incorporates a 3.7VDC, 750 mAh LiPo battery. The LiPo battery recharging function is controlled by the
microprocessor in the LRF. The LRF incorporates an automatic power-down function, which turns the unit off if the LiPo
battery voltage level drops below 2.9V. This feature protects the battery and electronics from damage. A bi-color LED
mounted next to the micro-USB socket indicates the charging status and voltage level of the battery.
Battery charging and operation states are automatically controlled by the LRF, depending on: user-selected mode,
LiPo battery power level, and availability of recharging power through the micro-USB socket.
Battery Charging and Status
LED LiPo Battery Status LRF State Pin 1
Off NA Off 0V
Flashing Red Low Battery (< 2.9V) Auto Off 0V
Flashing Green Charging (< 3.3V) On 5V
Steady Green > 3.3V On 0V
Steady Green Fully Charged (> 3.3V) On 5V
2-Hz Green Charging Off 5V
Double-pulse Green Full Charge Off 5V
Sample of Available Software Controlled Operating Configurations
Automatic threshold setting for user-input FAR level
Time‑variable threshold (TVT) to reduce nearfield false alarms
Multipulse processing for extended range and improved resolution
Passive pulse-detection mode for external laser pulse repetition frequency measurements
Time-over-threshold (TOT) range-walk correction
Equipment described herein is subject to US export regulations and may require a license prior to export. Diversion contrary to US law is prohibited. Specifications are subject to change without notice. Accession number 1811183-00.
Voxtel Literature Narrow-Profile LRF OEM Module 9July2020 ©. Voxtel makes no warranty or representation regarding its products’ specific application suitability and may make changes to the products described without notice.
NARROW-PROFILE EYESAFE
LASER RANGEFINDER (LRF)
OEM MODULE
TURNKEY 1534-NM
LASER RANGING
MODULE
Voxtel’s Narrow-Profile Laser Rangefinder (LRF) Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Module allows system integrators to efficiently
integrate an eyesafe laser ranging capability into a thermal or electro-
optical system, weapons scope, or consumer product. The Narrow-Profile LRF OEM Module includes Voxtel’s ROX™ InGaAs avalanche
photodiode (APD) photoreceiver boresighted with a collimated near-
diffraction-limited (DL) 1534-nm diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS)
pulsed laser.
This Narrow-Profile LRF OEM Module is the industry’s most compact
and power-efficient pulsed laser ranging solution. The 21-mm aperture
enables standoff ranges out to 6 km with a 48-kW DPSS laser. With multi-
pulse processing, range is approximately twice as far.
The Narrow-Profile LRF OEM Module includes Voxtel’s robust, low-noise,
high-gain ROX APD photoreceiver that offers best-of-class sensitivity
without the use of thermoelectric cooling, allowing for long-standoff
range performance with less laser pulse energy and lower power. To
allow optimal APD bias at all operating temperatures, the Narrow-Profile
LRF OEM Module includes automatic APD bias temperature
compensation that is calibrated at the factory.
The APD photoreceiver is integrated with standard 21-mm-diam.
optical apertures. Custom receiver options are also available. The 17x
magnification collimated lasers have excellent beam quality—M2 <
1.15 x DL, where DL is the diffraction limit, which allows for maximum
pulse energy to be placed on the target—even at long distances and
in difficult atmospheric conditions.
FEATURES
Turnkey: Integrates erbium-glass
pulsed laser, high-performance
InGaAs APD, pulse-processing
electronics, and programmable
interface
Boresighted Optics: Receiver and
transmitter optics boresighted at
the factory
Excellent Sensitivity: Low-excess-
noise InGaAs APD
Eyesafe: Class 1, 1534-nm laser
High Accuracy: 500-mm single-
pulse; 100-mm multi-pulse
Near Diffraction-Limited Laser
Beam Quality: M2 < 1.15 x DL
Ultra-low Noise Equivalent Input
(NEI): as low as 45 photons
Long Lifetime: > 50M shots
OPTIONS
Laser: 48 kW
Receiver Aperture: 21 mm
Transmitter Collimators: 17x
standard; other magnification
available upon request
Pitch Plate for fine pointing
adjustment
Auxiliary Board: Integrated AHRS
with 9-axis IMU, Bluetooth low-
energy communications module,
and 8-bit ADC
CONTACT INFO
VOXTEL INC.
15985 NW SCHENDEL AVE #200
BEAVERTON, OR 97006
971-223-5642
WWW.VOXTEL-INC.COM
10
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The highly sensitive APD photoreceiver enables long-distance ranging using less laser pulse energy. The Narrow-Profile
LRF OEM Module integrates pulsed DPSS micro-lasers with 17x-magnification collimating optics, providing low beam
divergence.
Easy to integrate and operate, each turnkey Narrow-Profile LRF OEM Module includes a simple UART interface
controlled with a serial command software library that allows for flexible and dynamic operation. To enhance
performance, various operating modes are provided, including time-variable-threshold (TVT) for reduced false-alarm
rates (FARs), multi-pulse processing for extended range and improved range precision, automatic FAR determination
and automatic threshold settings, background signal level compensation, time-over-threshold (TOT) range-walk
compensation for more accurate range measurements over the entire standoff distance, and passive pulse-
repetition-frequency sensing for remote laser detection and identification.
An optional auxiliary board is also available. It includes an Integrated attitude and heading reference system (AHRS)
module, an 8-bit pulse digitizer, and a Bluetooth low-energy communications module. An optional pitch plate
allows fine adjustment of the Narrow-Profile LRF OEM Module for aligning to a target for ranging.
ORDERING INFORMATION & SPECIFICATOINS
Narrow-Profile Laser
Rangefinder OEM Module
Narrow-Profile Laser Rangefinder
OEM Module with Pitch Plate
48-kW laser, 21-mm dia. receiver aperture DUMQ-NCBC DUMU-NCBC
Laser peak power (typical)1,2 48kW
Aperture diameter 21 mm
Multi-pulse range3,4,5 11 km
Singe-pulse range4,6 6 km
Multi-pulse extinction ratio (500 m/85%)3,7 37 dB
Single-pulse extinction ratio (500 m/85%)7 33 dB
Performance Specifications
Maximum number of returns per pulse8 20
Minimum target separation7 5 m
Range accuracy, single-/multi-pulse9 500 mm / 100 mm
Minimum range10 20 m
Transmitter Specifications
Voxtel DPSS laser LAM0-FX0C
Transmitter wavelength 1534 nm
Transmitter pulse width1 7 ns
Transmitter rep. frequency, max (multi-pulse) 10 Hz
Transmitter beam diameter11 5.10 mm
Transmitter beam divergence, full angle (1/e2) 11 0.5 mrad
Transmitter beam quality (M²) 1.15 x DL
Receiver Specifications
NEI1 (quanta/energy) 45 photons / 5.805*10-18 J
Dynamic range, total 70 dB
Dynamic range, linear 25 dB
APD Gain (M) 1-20
APD Responsivity (M = 1)6 1.1 A/W
Electrical Specifications
Input voltage, typical/max 5 VDC / 5.5 VDC
Standby power 200 mW
Max current draw during range request 1.8 A
Power consumption, 1-Hz continuous ranging1 700 mW
1 25 °C 2 1534 nm 3 30% reflective extended target (larger than beam area), multi-pulse
processing time 1.1 – 1.5 seconds. 4 90% probability of detection, < 2% false alarm probability (single
pulse), < 60 mW/cm2 ambient solar background 5 Preliminary data
6 30% reflective 3.3 x 3.3 m2 target 7 Target return level ≤ 10x NEI 8 Max including one T0 pulse 9 When calibrated with time-over-threshold (1 σ) 10 10 m possible with lower-energy laser models 11 Measured through the beam expander
12
Communication interface Serial commands over UART 3.3V CMOS logic
Mechanical Specifications
Weight, all components 175 g 145 g
Environmental
Operating temperature12 -45 °C to +65 °C 1
Storage temperature -55 °C to +85 °C
Lifetime (MTTF) 50 million shots 12 Custom to +75° C also available upon request
AUXILLARY BOARD
An optional auxiliary board includes an integrated AHRS module with 9-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU), and
Bluetooth low-energy communications module. The AHRS module can be factory-calibrated.
Attitude and Heading Determination To determine pointing direction and orientation (roll, pitch, and yaw), the auxiliary board incorporates an internal 9-
axis IMU—including accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope axis (three-axis MEMS gyroscope, three-axis
accelerometer, and three-axis compass)—and integrated sensor fusion and motion processing. This constant-calibration technology polls individual sensors and integrates, fuses, and filters the sensor data with state-of-the-art
Kalman filter algorithms, which allows users to determine the magnetic heading of the LRF (roll, pitch, and yaw) and
the rate of the roll, pitch, and yaw of the LRF. The IMU provides attitude data in terms of Euler angles and quaternions.
To estimate the current attitude (roll, pitch, heading) of the device, the sensor fusion processor uses a Kalman filter to
integrate the output from: 1) the three-axis MEMS rate gyroscope, which detects rotation about the x-, y- and z- axes;
2) the three-axis accelerometer, which detects acceleration due to gravity or movement in the direction of the x-, y-,
and z- axes; and 3) the three-axis magnetometer, which detects the magnitude of the local magnetic field in the x-,
y-, and z- axes.
The sensor fusion processor also provides built-in continuous calibration for each sensor, including hard- and soft-iron
calibration for the magnetometer. The magnetometer calibration functionality minimizes the effect of ferrous metals
(iron, iron alloys) and localized electromagnetic fields on the heading estimate.
AHRS Specifications
Heading repeatability (total error) ±0.5 deg
Heading noise (std. dev.) 0.17 deg
Pitch repeatability (total error) ±0.01 deg
Pitch noise (std. dev) 0.15 deg Gyroscope Noise
Sensitivity (125 deg/s full scale) 256 LSB/deg/s
Total RMS noise (57-Hz bandwidth) 0.1 deg/s
Output noise density 0.014 deg/s/√Hz
Max output data rate 2,000 Hz
Accelerometer Sensitivity
Sensitivity (2g full scale) 1024 LSB/g
Zero-g offset temperature drift ±1 mg/K
Output noise density 150 μg/√Hz
Total RMS noise, at 100 Hz 1.5 mg-rms
Max output data rate 1,000 Hz
Magnetometer Sensitivity
Full scale range (x-, y- axes) ±1300 μT
Full scale range (z-axis) ±2500 μT
Sensitivity scale factor (x-, y- axes) 0.32 μT/LSB
Sensitivity scale factor (z-axis) 0.15 μT/LSB
Total RMS noise, at 20 Hz 0.3 μT
Maximum output data rate 300 Hz
Bluetooth Low-energy Communications Module To connect to a wireless personal area network, the auxiliary board includes a Bluetooth low-energy (LE)
communications module (Bluetooth LE or Bluetooth SMART). The module includes support for mobile operating
systems, including iOS, Android, and Windows, as well as macOS, Linux, Windows 8 and Windows 10, which natively
support Bluetooth LE. The certified 2.4-GHz module includes a Bluetooth 4.4-compliant software stack. For easy system
integration without the need for a separate antenna, the module includes an integrated high-performance chip
antenna that allows transmission ranges to 50 m. The module supports up to eight simultaneous Bluetooth connections.
13
The Bluetooth interface can be used to command and receive data from the LRF using the serial commands
available in the Voxtel document LRF Software ICD: Modules, Kits, and Components, which is shipped with the product
and is available at voxtel-inc.com.
Processing and Ballistics The auxiliary board features an ARM Cortex M4 processor with FPU up to 38.4 MHz, with 32 kB RAM and 256 kB flash
memory, which we can use to implement custom customer specific application code, install a software ballistics
computer, or implement additional features into the module.
Ancillary Sensor Support The auxiliary board provides an I2C interface that allows additional sensors and hardware to be connected to the LRF
module.
SOFTWARE CONTROL
The LRF OEM Module can be easily programmed using the simple serial communications command set over a simple
serial UART interface.
User-programmable features include: time-variable threshold (TVT), used to reduce false alarms due to nearfield
scattering, time-over-threshold (TOT) range-walk compensation, used to reduce amplitude-dependent timing errors
autocalibration, used to set the threshold to achieve a user-defined FAR given ambient background optical
radiation conditions multi-pulse processing, used to enhance range and resolution passive operation, used to
measure the pulse-repetition frequency of external lasers.
The available commands can be found in the Voxtel document: LRF Software ICD: Modules, Kits, and Components
To configure and operate the LRF OEM Module using a terminal emulator of a graphical user interface, see the Quick
Start section of the Voxtel document: LRF User Manual: Modules, Kits, and Components
These are shipped with the product and are available at voxtel-inc.com. The tools on the website can be used to
update device drivers and firmware.
ELECTRICAL
Block Diagram
14
Timing Diagrams LRF Single-Pulse-Range Cycle
Configuration for Triggering the Time-to-Digital Converter Using an External Electrical T0 To configure the LRF to receive an electronic T0 pulse, users can supply a maximum 1.8V DC pulse to the UFL connector
located on the LRF System Board (see Mechanical Drawings, LRF System Board) using a 50-Ω-terminated cable. The
external T0 control is enabled using software commands.
Connector Pin Assignments LRF System Board User Interface- P1 Connector (Hirose DF3-8P-2Ds)
ROX APD Photoreceiver Board Connector Out Description Typ
UFL Analog Out Analog Output; AC coupled (15.8 nominal gain) - 3 VDC (into 50 ohms)
Pin Name In/Out Description Typ
1 LRF_RANGE Input Initiates a range measurement when a rising edge is detected on
this pin.
3.3V
2 LASERGATE Output Laser gate signal to the laser diode driver board. This can be
monitored or actively driven.
3.3V
3 LRF_ENABLE Input Active low enable. Pin pulled down to ground.
Pulled high to disable LRF power.
4 NC NA No Connect NA
5 GND Input System Ground Ground
6 TX Output UART Transmit 3.3V
7 RX Input UART Receiver 3.3V
8 5V Input System Power Input 5V
15
MECHANICAL DRAWINGS
Narrow-Profile Laser Rangefinder OEM Module 48-kW, 21-mm-aperture module (model DUMQ-NCBC)
48-kW, 21-mm aperture module with pitch plate (model DUMU-NCBC)
Equipment described herein is subject to US export regulations and may require a license prior to export. Diversion contrary to US law is prohibited. Specifications are subject to change without notice. Accession number 1811183-00.
Voxtel Literature DTS-LRF-0001_REV01 07July2020 ©. Voxtel makes no warranty or representation regarding its products’ specific application suitability and may make changes to the products described without notice.
EYESAFE
LASER RANGEFINDER (LRF)
OEM MODULE
TURNKEY 1534-NM
LASER RANGING
MODULE
Voxtel’s Laser Rangefinder (LRF) Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Module allows system integrators to efficiently integrate an
eyesafe laser ranging capability into a thermal or electro-optical
system, weapons scope, or consumer product. The LRF OEM Module
includes Voxtel’s ROX™ InGaAs avalanche photodiode (APD)
photoreceiver boresighted with a collimated near-diffraction-limited
(DL) 1534-nm diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) pulsed laser.
This LRF OEM Module is the industry’s most compact and power-
efficient pulsed laser ranging solution, with a range of available laser
pulse energies and receiver optical apertures that allow for long-
distance ranging. The 21-mm-aperture option enables standoff
ranges beyond: 5 km with the 30-kW DPSS laser; 10 km with the 50-kW
DPSS laser; and 12 km with the 120-kW DPSS laser. With multi-pulse
processing, range is about twice as far. And, the 50-mm-aperture
option enables standoff ranges about twice as far as the 21-mm option.
The LRF OEM Module includes Voxtel’s robust, low-noise, high-gain ROX
APD photoreceiver that offers best-of-class sensitivity without the use of
thermoelectric cooling, allowing for long-standoff range performance
with less laser pulse energy and lower power. To allow optimal APD bias
at all operating temperatures, the LRF OEM Module includes automatic
APD bias temperature compensation that is calibrated at the factory.
The APD photoreceiver is integrated with standard 21-mm-diam. or 50-
mm-diam. optical apertures. Custom receiver options are also
available. The 17x magnification collimated lasers have excellent
beam quality— M2 < 1.15 x DL , where DL is the diffraction limit—which
allows for the maximum pulse energy to be placed on the target—
even at long distances and in difficult atmospheric conditions.
FEATURES
Turnkey: Integrates erbium-glass
pulsed laser, high-performance
InGaAs APD, pulse-processing
electronics, and programmable
interface
Boresighted Optics: Receiver and
transmitter optics boresighted at
the factory
Excellent Sensitivity: Low-excess-
noise InGaAs APD
Eyesafe: Class 1, 1534-nm laser
High Accuracy: 500-mm single-
pulse; 100-mm multi-pulse
Near Diffraction-Limited Laser
Beam Quality: M2 < 1.15 x DL
Ultra-low Noise Equivalent Input
(NEI): as low as 45 photons
Long Lifetime: > 50M shots
OPTIONS
Laser: 30 kW, 50 kW, or 120 kW
Receiver Aperture: 21-mm or 50-
mm-diam.; custom sizing available
Transmitter Collimators: 17x
standard; other magnification
available upon request
Auxiliary Board: Integrated AHRS
with 9-axis IMU, Bluetooth low-
energy communications module,
and 8-bit ADC
CONTACT INFO
VOXTEL INC.
15985 NW SCHENDEL AVE #200
BEAVERTON, OR 97006
971-223-5642
WWW.VOXTEL-INC.COM
16
17
The highly sensitive APD photoreceiver enables long-distance ranging using less laser pulse energy. The LRF OEM
Module integrates pulsed DPSS micro-lasers with 17x-magnification collimating optics, providing low beam divergence.
Easy to integrate and operate, each turnkey LRF OEM Module includes a simple UART interface controlled with a serial
command software library that allows for flexible and dynamic operation. To enhance performance, various
operating modes are provided, including time-variable-threshold (TVT) for reduced false-alarm rates (FARs), multi-
pulse processing for extended range and improved range precision, automatic FAR determination and automatic
threshold settings, background signal level compensation, time-over-threshold (TOT) range-walk compensation for
more accurate range measurements over the entire standoff distance, and passive pulse-repetition-frequency
sensing for remote laser detection and identification.
An optional auxiliary board is also available. It includes an Integrated attitude and heading reference system (AHRS)
module, an 8-bit pulse digitizer, and a Bluetooth low-energy communications module.
ORDERING INFORMATION LRF OEM Module
Base Unit
without Housing
LRF OEM Module
with Integrated
Aluminum Housing
LRF OEM Module
With Aux Board
Without Housing
30 kW Laser
21-mm dia. receiver aperture DUKL-NCBC DUKT-NCBC DUKS-NCBC
50 kW Laser
21-mm dia. receiver aperture DUML-NCBC DUMT-NCBC DUMS-NCBC
50-mm dia. receiver aperture DUQL-NHBC DUQT-NHBC DUQS-NHBC
120 kW Laser
21-mm dia. receiver aperture DUNL-NCBC DUNT-NCBC DUNS-NCBC
50-mm dia. receiver aperture DUNL-NHBC DUNT-NHBC DUNS-NHBC
18
SPECIFICATIONS
DUKL-NCBC DUML-NCBC DUQL-NHBC DUNL-NCBC DUNL-NHBC
Laser peak power (typical)1,2 30 kW 50 kW 120 kW
Aperture diameter 21 mm 21 mm 50 mm 21 mm 50 mm
Multi-pulse range3,4,5 7km 11 km 18 km 12 km 21 km
Singe-pulse range4,6 4 km 6 km 10 km 9 km 12 km
Multi-pulse extinction ratio (500 m/85%)3,7 32 dB 37 dB 42 dB 39 dB 46 dB
Single-pulse extinction ratio (500 m/85%)7 28 dB 33 dB 41 dB 35 dB 42 dB
Performance Specifications
Maximum number of returns per pulse8 20
Minimum target separation7 5 m
Range accuracy, single-/multi-pulse9 500 mm / 100 mm
Minimum range10 20 m
Transmitter Specifications
Voxtel DPSS laser LAK0-E00C LAM0-FX0C LAMM-FB0C LAN0-F00C
Transmitter wavelength 1534 nm 1534 nm 1534 nm
Transmitter pulse width1 4 ns 7 ns 5 ns
Transmitter rep. frequency, max (multi-pulse)11 10 Hz 10 Hz 10 Hz5
Transmitter beam diameter 4.25 mm 5.10 mm 6.78 mm
Transmitter beam divergence, full angle (1/e2) 0.7 mrad 0.5 mrad 0.4 mrad
Transmitter beam quality (M²) 1.15 x DL 1.15 x DL 1.15 x DL
Receiver Specifications
NEI1 (quanta/energy) 45 photons/ 5.805*10-18 J
Dynamic range, total 70 dB
Dynamic range, linear 25 dB
APD Gain (M) 1 – 20
APD Responsivity (M = 1)6 1.1 A/W
Electrical Specifications
Input voltage, typical/max 5 VDC / 5.5 VDC
Standby power 200 mW
Max current draw during range request 1.8 A
Power consumption, 1-Hz continuous ranging1 700 mW 900 mW 1400 mW
Communication interface Serial commands over UART 3.3V CMOS logic
Mechanical Specifications
Weight, all components 106 g 112 g 135 g 129 g 153 g
Weight, including optional housing and
mounting hardware
216 g 221 g 244 g 239 g 261 g
Environmental
Operating temperature12 -45 °C to +65 °C
Storage temperature -55 °C to +85 °C
Lifetime (MTTF) 50 million shots
1 25 °C 2 1534 nm 3 30% reflective extended target (larger than beam area), multi-pulse processing time 1.1 – 1.5 seconds. 4 90% probability of detection, < 2% false alarm probability (single pulse), < 60 mW/cm2 ambient solar background 5 Preliminary data 6 30% reflective 3.3 x 3.3 m2 target 7 Target return level ≤ 10x NEI 8 Max including one T0 pulse 9 When calibrated with time-over-threshold (1 σ) 10 10 m possible with lower-energy laser models 11 Heat sinking required for 120-kW LRF 12 Custom to +75° C also available upon request
19
AUXILLARY BOARD
An optional auxiliary board includes an integrated AHRS module with 9-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU), and
Bluetooth low-energy communications module. The AHRS module can be factory-calibrated.
Attitude and Heading Determination To determine pointing direction and orientation (roll, pitch, and yaw), the auxiliary board incorporates an internal 9-
axis IMU—including accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope axis (three-axis MEMS gyroscope, three-axis
accelerometer, and three-axis compass)—and integrated sensor fusion and motion processing. This constant-calibration technology polls individual sensors and integrates, fuses, and filters the sensor data with state-of-the-art
Kalman filter algorithms, which allows users to determine the magnetic heading of the LRF (roll, pitch, and yaw) and
the rate of the roll, pitch, and yaw of the LRF. The IMU provides attitude data in terms of Euler angles and quaternions.
To estimate the current attitude (roll, pitch, heading) of the device, the sensor fusion processor uses a Kalman filter to
integrate the output from: 1) the three-axis MEMS rate gyroscope, which detects rotation about the x-, y- and z- axes;
2) the three-axis accelerometer, which detects acceleration due to gravity or movement in the direction of the x-, y-,
and z- axes; and 3) the three-axis magnetometer, which detects the magnitude of the local magnetic field in the x-,
y-, and z- axes.
The sensor fusion processor also provides built-in continuous calibration for each sensor, including hard- and soft-iron
calibration for the magnetometer. The magnetometer calibration functionality minimizes the effect of ferrous metals
(iron, iron alloys) and localized electromagnetic fields on the heading estimate.
AHRS Specifications
Heading repeatability (total error) ±0.5 deg
Heading noise (std. dev.) 0.17 deg
Pitch repeatability (total error) ±0.01 deg
Pitch noise (std. dev) 0.15 deg Gyroscope Noise
Sensitivity (125 deg/s full scale) 256 LSB/deg/s
Total RMS noise (57-Hz bandwidth) 0.1 deg/s
Output noise density 0.014 deg/s/√Hz
Max output data rate 2,000 Hz
Accelerometer Sensitivity
Sensitivity (2g full scale) 1024 LSB/g
Zero-g offset temperature drift ±1 mg/K
Output noise density 150 μg/√Hz
Total RMS noise, at 100 Hz 1.5 mg-rms
Max output data rate 1,000 Hz
Magnetometer Sensitivity
Full scale range (x-, y- axes) ±1300 μT
Full scale range (z-axis) ±2500 μT
Sensitivity scale factor (x-, y- axes) 0.32 μT/LSB
Sensitivity scale factor (z-axis) 0.15 μT/LSB
Total RMS noise, at 20 Hz 0.3 μT
Maximum output data rate 300 Hz
Bluetooth Low-energy Communications Module To connect to a wireless personal area network, the auxiliary board includes a Bluetooth low-energy (LE)
communications module (Bluetooth LE or Bluetooth SMART). The module includes support for mobile operating
systems, including iOS, Android, and Windows, as well as macOS, Linux, Windows 8 and Windows 10, which natively
support Bluetooth LE. The certified 2.4-GHz module includes a Bluetooth 4.4-compliant software stack. For easy system
integration without the need for a separate antenna, the module includes an integrated high-performance chip
antenna that allows transmission ranges to 50 m. The module supports up to eight simultaneous Bluetooth connections.
The Bluetooth interface can be used to command and receive data from the LRF using the serial commands
available in the Voxtel document LRF Software ICD: Modules, Kits, and Components, which is shipped with the product
and is available at voxtel-inc.com.
Processing and Ballistics The auxiliary board features an ARM Cortex M4 processor with FPU up to 38.4 MHz, with 32 kB RAM and 256 kB flash
memory, which we can use to implement custom customer specific application code, install a software ballistics
computer, or implement additional features into the module.
20
Ancillary Sensor Support The auxiliary board provides an I2C interface that allows additional sensors and hardware to be connected to the LRF
module.
SOFTWARE CONTROL
The LRF OEM Module can be easily programmed using the simple serial communications command set over a simple
serial UART interface.
User-programmable features include: time-variable threshold (TVT), used to reduce false alarms due to nearfield
scattering, time-over-threshold (TOT) range-walk compensation, used to reduce amplitude-dependent timing errors
autocalibration, used to set the threshold to achieve a user-defined FAR given ambient background optical
radiation conditions multi-pulse processing, used to enhance range and resolution passive operation, used to
measure the pulse-repetition frequency of external lasers.
The available commands can be found in the Voxtel document: LRF Software ICD: Modules, Kits, and Components
To configure and operate the LRF OEM Module using a terminal emulator of a graphical user interface, see the Quick
Start section of the Voxtel document: LRF User Manual: Modules, Kits, and Components
These are shipped with the product and are available at voxtel-inc.com. The tools on the website can be used to
update device drivers and firmware.
ELECTRICAL
Block Diagram
21
Timing Diagrams LRF Single-Pulse-Range Cycle
Configuration for Triggering the Time-to-Digital Converter Using an External Electrical T0 To configure the LRF to receive an electronic T0 pulse, users can supply a maximum 1.8V DC pulse to the UFL connector
located on the LRF System Board (see Mechanical Drawings, LRF System Board) using a 50-Ω-terminated cable. The
external T0 control is enabled using software commands.
Connector Pin Assignments LRF System Board User Interface- P1 Connector (Hirose DF3-8P-2Ds)
ROX APD Photoreceiver Board Connector Out Description Typ
UFL Analog Out Analog Output; AC coupled (15.8 nominal gain) - 3 VDC (into 50 ohms)
Pin Name In/Out Description Typ
1 LRF_RANGE Input Initiates a range measurement when a rising edge is detected on
this pin.
3.3V
2 LASERGATE Output Laser gate signal to the laser diode driver board. This can be
monitored or actively driven.
3.3V
3 LRF_ENABLE Input Active low enable. Pin pulled up to 5V with 100kΩ resistor.
Pull low to enable LRF power.
4 NC NA No Connect NA
5 GND Input System Ground Ground
6 TX Output UART Transmit 3.3V
7 RX Input UART Receiver 3.3V
8 5V Input System Power Input 5V
22
MECHANICAL DRAWINGS
OEM Module Base Unit (Without Housing) 21-mm receiver aperture models
30-kW, 21-mm (model DUKL-NCBC)
50-kW, 21-mm (model DUML-NCBC)
23
120-kW, 21-mm (model DUNL-NCBC)
50-mm receiver aperture models 50-kW, 50-mm (model DUQL-NHBC)
120-kW, 50-mm (model DUNL-NHBC)
24
LRF Module (With Integrated Aluminum Housing) 21-mm receiver aperture models
30-kW, 21-mm (model DUKT-NCBC)
50-kW, 21-mm (model DUMT-NCBC)
120-kW, 21-mm (model DUNT-NCBC)
25
50-mm receiver aperture models 50-kW, 50-mm (model DUQT-NHBC)
120-kW, 50-mm (model DUNT-NHBC)
Voxtel Literature LRF System Integrator Kit 12Apr2019 ©. Voxtel makes no warranty or representation regarding its products’ specific application suitability and may make changes to the products described without notice.
LASER RANGEFINDER (LRF) SYSTEM-
INTEGRATOR KIT
INCLUDES INGAAS APD PHOTORECEIVER, 1534-NM
DPSS LASER, TDC & CONTROL ELECTRONICS
1.5-MICRON LASER
RANGEFINDER
SYSTEM-
INTEGRATOR KIT
Voxtel’s Laser-rangefinder (LRF) System-Integrator Kit gives system
designers a turnkey laser-ranging solution for thermal, electro-optical,
and optical scope integration. Each kit includes Voxtel’s ROX™
avalanche photodiode (APD) photoreceiver, which offers best-in-
class sensitivity enabling long-standoff range performance with less
laser pulse energy. The ROX photoreceiver is paired with Voxtel’s small-
form-factor 1534-nm diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) erbium-glass
laser transmitter, programmable time-to-digital converter (TDC), and
programmable controller board. The result is a compact, lightweight
highly-reliable ranging module with excellent performance.
Each Kit is factory calibrated. To provide optimal performance over a
-50 °C to +65 °C temperature range, four operating modes are
included: bias for best noise equivalent input (NEI) operation; bias for
optimal sensitivity for a 10-Hz to 350-Hz false alarm rate (FAR); stable
photoreceiver responsivity; and stable gain (M = 1). The Kit is easily
programmed using commands from a flexible serial communications
library, communicated over a simple serial UART interface.
Other user-programmable features include: time-variable-threshold
(TVT), used to reduce false alarms due to nearfield scattering,
time-over-threshold (TOT) range walk correction, used to reduce
amplitude-dependent range-walk errors autocalibration, used to set
the threshold to achieve a user-defined FAR given ambient
background optical radiation conditions multi-pulse processing,
used to enhance range and resolution passive operation, used to
measure the pulse-repetition frequency of external lasers.
The LRF System-Integrator Kit can optionally include laser-collimating
optics and photoreceiver optics. For integration with user provided
lasers, kits are available without the lasers (APD photoreceiver and
laser ranging control electronics only). Also available is an optional
auxiliary board that includes an Integrated attitude and heading
reference system (attitude and heading reference system, AHRS)
module with a 9-axis IMU and a Bluetooth low-energy
communications module.
EAR 99: NOT ITAR CONTROLLED
FEATURES Turnkey: Integrates DPSS erbium-
glass laser, high-performance
InGaAs APD, and programmable
pulse-processing electronics
Low Excess Noise: Impact-
ionization engineered InGaAs APD
Eyesafe: Class 1, 1534-nm laser
High Precision: 500-mm single-
pulse; 100-mm multi-pulse
Near Diffraction-limited Laser
Beam Quality:
M2 < 1.15 x diffraction limit
Excellent NEI: as low as 45 photons
Low Power: < 1 mW w/ LRF disabled
Long Lifetime: > 50 million shots
OPTIONS Integrated Optics: Receiver (f/1;
21-mm and 50-mm aperture) and
laser collimator (17x magnification)
Auxiliary Board: AHRS and
Bluetooth communications
Turnkey LRF Modules: Available as
original equipment manufacturer
(OEM) modules or as robust
electro-optical assemblies
APD Photoreceiver and Laser
Ranging Control Electronics:
Available without laser and pointer
CONTACT INFO
VOXTEL INC.
15985 NW SCHENDEL AVE #200
BEAVERTON, OR 97006
971-223-5642
WWW.VOXTEL-INC.COM
26
27
SPECIFICATIONS
LRF System-Integrator Kit without T0 detector EUKK-N00C EUMK-J00C EUMK-N00C EUNK-N00C
Voxtel laser model number LAK0-E00C LAM0-F00C LAM0-F00C LAN0-F00C
Voxtel APD photoreceiver model number RUC1-NIAC RUC1-JIAC RUC1-NIAC RUC1-NIAC
Transmitter wavelength 1534 nm
Laser peak power (typical)1,2 29 kW 48 kW 48 kW 115 kW
Transmitter pulse spectral width1 4 ns 7 ns 7 ns 5 ns
Transmitter beam width (FWHM) 0.02 nm
Wavelength shift1 +0.014 nm/+oC
Transmitter beam diameter 250 μm 300 μm 300 μm 450 μm
Transmitter beam divergence, full angle (1/e2) 12 mrad 8 mrad 8 mrad 6 mrad
Transmitter beam quality (M²) 1.15 x DL
APD collection aperture 200 µm 75 µm 200 µm 200 µm
Noise equivalent input1 45 photons 45 photons 45 photons 45 photons
Total dynamic range 70 dB
Linear dynamic range 25 dB
APD gain range (M) 1 – 20
APD responsivity (M = 1) 1.1 A/W
Number of returns per pulse, maximum 20
Target separation, minimum3 5 m
Range accuracy (single-pulse/multi-pulse) 1,3 ,4 500 mm / 100 mm
Minimum range5 20 m
Power consumption, LRF disabled < 1 mW
Power consumption, standby 250 mW
Power consumption, 1-Hz continuous ranging1 700 mW 900 mW 900 mW 1400 mW
Timing, power-on to standby 45 ms
Timing, standby to range 180 ms
Communications interface Serial commands, UART 3.3V CMOS Logic
Analog signal (peak to peak) 150 mV
Operating humidity (relative humidity) 90%
Operating temperature6 -50 °C to +65 °C
Storage temperature -55 °C to +85 °C
Lifetime (MTTF) 50 million shots
Weight
Base Unit7 37.2 g 38.3 g 38.3 g 53.4 g
Options (See Ordering Information for part numbers)
With Integrated T0 Detector +0.2 g +0.2 g +0.2 g +0.2 g
With Auxiliary Board +5.0 g +5.0 g +5.0 g +5.0 g
With 17x Laser Beam Expander/Collimator +51.3 g +55.6 g +55.6 g +58.1 g
With 21 mm Optics +46.8 g +46.8 g +46.8 g +46.8 g
With 50 mm Optics +61.0 g +61.0 g +61.0 g +61.0 g
Exclusions (See Ordering Information for part numbers)
Without Laser & Laser Driver Board -18.3 g -19.4 g -19.4 g -34.5 g
With Laser Collimating Optics
Laser collimator magnification 17x 17X 17X 17X
Collimated beam divergence 0. 7 mrad 0.5 mrad 0.5 mrad 0.4 mrad
With 21-mm Receiving Optical Mechanical Module
With 50-mm Receiving Optical Mechanical Module
1 25 °C 2 1534 nm 3 Target return level <= 10x NEI 4 When calibrated with time-over-threshold (1 σ) 5 10 m possible with lower-energy laser models
6 Custom to +75° C also available upon request 7 Base Unit includes DPSS Laser, Laser Driver Board, ROX InGaAs APD
Photoreceiver mounted on Socket Board, LRF System Board, and 2” Flex Ribbon Connector
Receiver aperture 21 mm 21 mm 21 mm 21 mm
Receiver f/number f/1 f/1 f/1 f/1
Receiver aperture 50 mm 50 mm 50 mm 50 mm
Receiver f/number f/1 f/1 f/1 f/1
28
ORDERING INFORMATION
LRF System-Integrator Kits
Laser Pulse Energy (Eyesafe DPSS Laser)
Pulse Width
InGaAs APD Photo-
receiver
Laser Collimator
Module Options
Receiver Optics Module Options
Part Number
Without T0 Detector With T0 Detector
Integrated with Laser Without Aux
Board With Aux
Board Without Aux
Board With Aux
Board
No Laser—Photoreceiver & Laser
Ranging Control Electronics Only
NA
75 µm
None None
EU0K-J00C EU0S-J00C
NA NA200 µm EU0K-N00C EU0S-N00C
250 µm CA EU0K-K00C EU0S-K00C 500 µm EU0K-P00C EU0S-P00C
100 µJ 4 ns
75 µm
None
None EUKK-J00C EUKS-J00C EUPK-J00C EUPS-J00C Fiber pigtail 62.5-core/125-clad
(0.27 NA) FC/PC EUKK-JQ0C EUKS-JQ0C EUPK-JQ0C EUPS-JQ0C
Fiber pigtail 105-core/125-clad
(0.22 NA) FC/PC EUKK-JR0C EUKS-JR0C EUPK-JR0C EUPS-JR0C
Fiber pigtail 200-core (0.37 NA)
FC/PC EUKK-JT0C EUKS-JT0C EUPK-JT0C EUPS-JT0C
with 17x laser
collimator
None EUKK-J0BC EUKS-J0BC EUPK-J0BC EUPS-J0BC 21 mm EUKK-JCBC EUKS-JCBC EUPK-JCBC EUPS-JCBC 50 mm* EUKK-JHBC EUKS-JHBC EUPK-JHBC EUPS-JHBC
200 µm
None
None EUKK-N00C EUKS-N00C EUPK-N00C EUPS-N00C
Fiber pigtail 62.5-core/125-clad
(0.27 NA) FC/PC EUKK-NQ0C EUKS-NQ0C EUPK-NQ0C EUPS-NQ0C
Fiber pigtail 105-core/125-clad
(0.22 NA) FC/PC EUKK-NR0C EUKS-NR0C EUPK -NR0C EUPS -NR0C
Fiber pigtail 200-core (0.37 NA)
FC/PC EUKK-NT0C EUKS-NT0C EUPK-NT0C EUPS-NT0C
with 17x laser
collimator
None EUKK-N0BC EUKS-N0BC EUPK-N0BC EUPS-N0BC 21 mm EUKK-NCBC EUKS-NCBC EUPK-NCBC EUPS-NCBC 50 mm* EUKK-NHBC EUKS-NHBC EUPK-NHBC EUPS-NHBC
300 µJ 4 ns
75 µm
None
None EUMK-J00C EUMS-J00C EUQK-J00C EUQS-J00C Fiber pigtail 62.5-core/125-clad
(0.27 NA) FC/PC EUMK-JQ0C EUMS-JQ0C EUQK-JQ0C EUQS-JQ0C
Fiber pigtail 105-core/125-clad
(0.22 NA) FC/PC EUMK-JR0C EUMS-JR0C EUQK-JR0C EUQS-JR0C
Fiber pigtail 200-core (0.37 NA)
FC/PC EUMK-JT0C EUMS-JT0C EUQK-JT0C EUQS-JT0C
with 17x laser
collimator
None EUMK-J0BC EUMS-J0BC EUQK-J0BC EUQS-J0BC 21 mm EUMK-JCBC EUMS-JCBC EUQK-JCBC EUQS-JCBC 50 mm* EUMK-JHBC EUMS-JHBC EUQK-JHBC EUQS-JHBC
200 µm
None
None EUMK-N00C EUMS-N00C EUQK-N00C EUQS-N00C Fiber pigtail 62.5-core/125-clad
(0.27 NA) FC/PC EUMK-NQ0C EUMS-NQ0C EUQK-NQ0C EUQS-NQ0C
Fiber pigtail 105-core/125-clad
(0.22 NA) FC/PC EUMK-NR0C EUMS-NR0C EUQK-NR0C EUQS-NR0C
Fiber pigtail 200-core (0.37 NA)
FC/PC EUMK-NT0C EUMS-NT0C EUQK-NT0C EUQS-NT0C
with 17x laser
collimator
None EUMK-N0BC EUMS-N0BC EUQK-N0BC EUQS-N0BC 21 mm EUMK-NCBC EUMS-NCBC EUQK-NCBC EUQS-NCBC 50 mm* EUMK-NHBC EUMS-NHBC EUQK-NHBC EUQS-NHBC
750 µJ 8 ns 200 µm
None None EUNK-N00C EUNS-N00C EURK-N00C EURS-N00C
with 17x laser
collimator
None EUNK-N0BC EUNS-N0BC EURK-N0BC EURS-N0BC 21 mm EUNK-NCBC EUNS-NCBC EURK-NCBC EURS-NCBC 50 mm* EUNK-NHBC EUNS-NHBC EURK-NHBC EURS-NHBC
* PRELIMINARY
29
CONFIGURATION
ELECTRICAL Block Diagram
Connector Pin Assignments
APD Photoreceiver Board The functionality of the electrical connections to the APD photoreceiver can be found in the ROX Series InGaAs APD Photoreceivers datasheet and user manual.
Pin Name In/Out Description Typ
1 VAPD Input APD bias voltage
2 GND Input Ground GND
3 NC Input High voltage isolation NA
4 GND Input Ground
5 AGND Input Analog ground GND
6 SIG- Output 1.8V full-swing complementary digital output signal from receiver 1.8V
7 AGND Input Analog ground
8 SIG+ Output 1.8V full-swing complementary digital output signal from receiver 1.8V
9 3.3V Input 3.3V digital supply 3.3V
10 GND Input Ground
11 VthSW Input Threshold voltage switch for TVT—switches between VTh,hi and Vth, lo
12 NC NA No connect NA
13 VthL Input Threshold low voltage
14 GND Input Ground GND
15 VthH Input Threshold high voltage
16 uCLK Input i2c clock for photoreceiver (two-wire interface)
17 AGND Input Analog ground
18 uDATA Input i2c data for photoreceiver (two-wire interface)
19 VCMOS2 Input 5V ROX photoreceiver supply 5VDC
20 START Input Receiver mode control
UFL Connector
Analog Output Analog Output 1.8 V
30
LRF System Board User Interface (Hirose DF3-8P-2DS)
Laser Driver Board For electrical connections to the laser driver board, see Voxtel’s DPSS Laser Series datasheet.
Timing Diagrams
Power-up to Range Timing
Ranging Operation Timing Diagram—LRF Single-Pulse Range Cycle
Configuration for Triggering the Time-to-Digital Converter Using an External Electrical T0 To configure the LRF to receive an electronic T0 pulse, users can supply a maximum 1.8V pulse to the UFL connector
located on the LRF system board (see Mechanical Drawings, LRF System Board) using a 50-ohm terminated cable.
The external T0 pulse is enabled using software commands to configure the board.
Pin Name In/Out Description Min Typ Max
1 LRF_RANGE Input Initiates range measurement when rising edge is detected on this pin. 3.3V
2 LASERGATE Output Laser gate signal to laser-diode driver board. Can be monitored or
actively driven.
3.3V
3 LRF_ENABLE Input Active low enable. Pin pull up to 5V w/100 kΩ resistor. Pull low to enable LRF power.
4 NC NA No Connect NA
5 GND Input System Ground Ground
6 TX Output UART Transmit 3.3V
7 RX Input UART Receiver 3.3V
8 5V Input System Power Input 5V
31
SOFTWARE CONTROL
The LRF System-Integrator Kit can be easily programmed using the simple serial communications command set over
a simple serial UART interface.
User-programmable features include: time-variable threshold (TVT), used to reduce false alarms due to nearfield
scattering, time-over-threshold (TOT) range-walk compensation, used to reduce amplitude-dependent timing errors
autocalibration, used to set the threshold to achieve a user-defined FAR given ambient background optical
radiation conditions multi-pulse processing, used to enhance range and resolution passive operation, used to
measure the pulse-repetition frequency of external lasers.
The available commands can be found in the Voxtel document: LRF Software ICD: Modules, Kits, and Components. To configure and operate the LRF using a terminal emulator of a graphic user interface, see the Quick Start section of
the Voxtel document: LRF User Manual: Modules, Kits, and Components. These documents are shipped with the
product and are available at voxtel-inc.com. The website can also be used to download software to update device
drivers and firmware.
MECHANICAL DRAWINGS
LRF System Board
ROX APD Photoreceiver Board
32
Ribbon Cable
Laser and Laser Driver Boards See Voxtel datasheet: DPSS Laser Series.
Voxtel Literature DTS-ML-0001_REV01 2 May 2019©. Voxtel makes no warranty or representation regarding its products’ specific application suitability and may make changes to the products described without notice.
DIODE-PUMPED SOLID-STATE (DPSS)
1534-NM PULSED MICRO-LASERS
1.5-MICRON
SOLID-STATE
PULSED LASERS
Voxtel’s high-peak-power lasers combine eyesafe-wavelength
operation with high peak power, short pulse duration, and diffraction-
limited beam quality to deliver unmatched size, weight, power, and
cost (SWAP-C), range, and accuracy.
Many of today’s laser ranging products use near-infrared lasers that
emit in the 905-nm to 1064-nm-wavelength spectral range. When used
at the power levels needed by the application requirements, this
spectral range is not eyesafe, and a tradeoff is made between safety
and performance.
In contrast, Voxtel’s DPSS lasers operate at a 1534-nm wavelength. At
this wavelength, eyesafe laser ranging systems can be easily
configured without compromise to beam power or quality. This makes
laser ranging applications safer for customers.
The excellent beam quality and tight beam divergence of Voxtel’s
micro-lasers allow pulses with high-photon-flux density to be
transmitted down range to targets, which enables long-distance and
high-resolution ranging.
The compact highly integrated laser transmitters are operational over
a wide temperature range, robust to the environment, gun-shock-
hardened, and qualified for a lifetime exceeding 50 million shots. To
operate the laser safely, easy-to-configure pulse-driver electronics are
available optionally. To simplify system integration, integrated 17x
collimating optics and T0 pulse detectors are also available optionally.
EAR 99: NOT ITAR CONTROLLED
FEATURES Eyesafe: Class-1
Typical Peak Power: to 120 kW
Excellent Beam Quality: M2 < 1.15 * DL (where DL is the diffraction limit)
Narrow Pulse Width: 4 – 7 ns
Long Lifetime: > 50 million shots
Robust: Qualified for extreme military
and automotive environments
Wide Operating Temperature Rage: -
45 – 65 °C* (high-operating-temp.
options also available) with stable
pulse energy and wavelength output
MODELS 30 kW (4-ns pulse length)
50 kW (7-ns pulse length)
120 kW (5-ns pulse length)
OPTIONS T0 Pulse Detector
Laser driver/system electronics
Integrated 17x-magnification
collimator (see below)
CONTACT INFO VOXTEL INC.
15985 NW SCHENDEL AVE #200 BEAVERTON, OR 97006
971-223-5642 WWW.VOXTEL-INC.COM [email protected]
33
34
SPECIFICATIONS Model (bare laser; see Ordering Information for options) LAK0‐E00C LAM0‐F00C LAN0‐F00C
Optical
Wavelength (center) 1534 nm +/- 0.25 nm
Spectral width (FWHM) < 0.015 nm
Temperature dependence +0.03 nm/°C
Pulse width, typical (FWHM) 4 ns 7 ns 5 ns
Peak power, typical 30 kW 50 kW 120 kW
Pulse repetition frequency (max, multi-pulse mode) 10 Hz 10 Hz 10 Hz
Laser delay time, typical 1 – 2 ms 1.5 – 2.5 ms 1.8 – 3.5 ms
Pulse energy stability, typical 10%
Beam diameter, typical 0.200 mm 0.300 mm 0.400 mm
Beam divergence, typical, full angle (1/e2) 12 mrad 8 mrad 6 mrad
Beam quality, typical (M2) (x diffraction limit) 1.15 1.15 1.15
Environmental
Operating temperature1 2 -45 °C to +65 °C
Storage temperature1 -55 °C to +85 °C
Shock 1500 G, 0.5 ms
Vibration 20 – 2000 Hz / 20 G
Lifetime, MTTF > 50 million shots
Mechanical
Dimensions 35.5 x 18.0 x 8.25 mm3 36.0 x 18.5 x 8.8 mm3 46.5 x 19.0 x 9.7 mm3
Weight 8.6 g 7.3 g 17.5 g
Electrical
Anode (red wire) voltage, typical 2 – 3 V 2 – 3V 3 – 3.5 V
Cathode (black wire) voltage, typical GND GND GND
Current, typical 7.125 – 7.875 A 14.250 – 15.750 A 18.0 – 20.0 A
Power consumption, typical 700 mW 900 mW 1400 mW 1 Dry N2 purged environment 2 Custom to +75° C also available upon request
OPTIONS Bare Laser with T0 Detector Integrated into Laser LAK0-EB0C LAM0-FB0C LAN0-FB0C
Trigger pulse voltage and duration 2 V; 100 ns 2 V; 100 ns 2 V; 100 ns
Dimensions 35.5 x 18.0 x 8.25 mm3 36.0 x 18.5 x 10.0 mm3 46.5 x 19 x 9.7 mm3
Weight 8.62 g
Bare Laser with 17X-Magnification Beam-Expanding/Collimating Optics Beam divergence, full angle (1/e2) 0.7 mrad 0.5 mrad 0.4 mrad
Beam diameter 4.25 mm 5.10 mm 6.78 mm
Beam quality, typical (M2) 1.15 x DL 1.15 x DL 1.15 x DL
Dimensions (laser and collimator only) 67.0 x 26.0 x 25.0 mm3 76.0 x 26.0 x 25.0 mm3 86.0 x 26.0 x 25.0 mm3
Weight (laser and collimator only) 60 g 63 g 76 g
Bare Laser with Laser Pulse Driver [shipped with BNC cable for Laser Trigger and AC Wall Plug (USA) to 5 VDC Power Converter]
Input voltage 5 V 5 V 5 V
Input current (peak during lasing) 1 A 1 A 1 A
Input current average (1 Hz rate) 0.1 A 0.1 A 0.1 A
All values are at 25 °C unless stated otherwise.
ORDERING INFORMATION 1534-nm DPSS Laser Bare Laser Bare Laser w/T0 Detector
& U.FL Connector
Laser & Laser Driver
Board
Laser w/T0 Detector &
Laser Driver Board
30 kW LAK0-E00C LAK0-EB0C LAKK-E00C LAKK-EB0C
50 kW LAM0-F00C LAM0-FB0C LAMM-F00C LAMM-FB0C
120 kW LAN0-F00C LAN0-FB0C LANN-F00C LANN-FB0C
30 kW laser with 17X Collimator LAK0-E0BC LAK0-EBBC LAKK-E0BC LAKK-EBBC
50 kW laser with 17X Collimator LAM0-F0BC LAM0-FBBC LAMM-F0BC LAMM-FBBC
120 kW laser with 17X Collimator LAN0-F0BC LAN0-FBBC LANN-F0BC LANN-FBBC
35
PERFORMANCE (TYPICAL)
Spectral Line Width (0.010 nm) at 35 °C (left) and Center Wavelength vs. Temperature (right)
LAK0-E00C (30-kW Laser)
LAM0-F00C (50-kW laser)
36
MECHANICAL
Bare DPSS Lasers
30-kW DPSS Laser (LAK0-E00C)
50-kW DPSS Laser (LAM0-F00C)
120-kW DPSS Laser (LAN0-F00C)
37
DPSS Lasers with Integrated T0 Detectors
50-kW DPSS Laser with T0 (LAM0-FB0C)
T0 External Integrated Detector Lid
OPTIONAL: 3-Pin Datamate Connector Harness Assembly—Available on Any Laser
38
DPSS Lasers Integrated with 17x Collimating Optics
30-kW DPSS Laser Integrated with 17x Collimating Optics (LAK0-E0BC)
50-kW DPSS Laser Integrated with 17x Collimating Optics (LAM0-F0BC)
120-kW DPSS Laser Integrated with 17x Collimating Optics (LAN0-F0BC)
39
Laser Driver Boards
30-kW Laser Driver Board (WLK00)
50-kW Laser Driver Board (WLM00)
(Option) 3-Pin Datamate Connector Harness Assembly—Available on any Driver Board
40
ELECTRICAL
J4 Connector on Laser Driver Board Pin Name I/O Description Min Typical Max Units 1 PUSH_BUTTON Input Momentary switch input. Used to connect/disconnect battery (optional). 3.3 3.3 5 V
2,4 VIN_USER Input User Supplied DC Power. Current draw is 1A during laser driver charging 2.7* 5 5.5 ma
3 EN_LDD Input Laser driver capacitor charge enable.
Enable high between ranges; low during ranging. 3.3 3.3 5 V
5 BATT_V Output Battery monitor. Tracks voltage on LiPO battery (optional) 2.7 3.7 4.2 V
6, 8 GND Input Ground GND V
7 LASERGATE Input Laser trigger activates/terminates laser diode pump source (typ. 2.5 ms max) 3.3 3.3 5 V
9 EN_CHRG Input Battery charger enable. Activates/terminates battery charging (optional) 3.3 3.3 5 V
10 5V_OUT Output Output from DC boost circuit. Powers system board (optional) 3.3 5V 5 V
11 BATT_STAT0 Output Battery status indicator 0 (optional) 2.9 3.3 5 V
12 BATT_STAT1 Output Battery status indicator 1 (optional) 2.9 3.3 5 V
Cable (Provided with Laser Driver Board) Connecting BNC (for Laser Trigger) and 5V Power Supply to J4 Connector on Laser Driver Board
Pin Name Connected
to Description Min Typical Max Units
BNC
1 Laser Gate J4; Pin 7 Laser trigger activates/terminates laser diode pump source, typ. 2.5 ms max 3.3 3.3 5 V
Shield GND J4; Pin 6 Ground GND
Power
Pin BATT_V J4, Pin 2 Battery monitor. Tracks voltage on LiPO battery (optional) 2.7 3.7 4.2 V
Shield GND J4, Pin 8 Ground GND V
U.FL Cable (Provided with 50 kW Laser with External T0 Detector Lid) for T0 Electrical Output Pin Name Description Min Typical Max Units
Center
Pin SIGNAL External T0 Detector Signal 1.1 2.5 3.5 V
Shield GND Ground GND V
ROXTM INGAAS AVALANCHE
PHOTODIODE (APD)
PHOTORECEIVERS
LASER RANGING
AND LIDAR
PHOTORECEIVERS
The ROXTM series of laser-ranging photoreceivers—which integrates
Voxtel-proprietary high-performance InGaAs avalanche photodiodes
(APDs), custom-designed CMOS application-specific integrated
circuits (ASICs), high-voltage APD bias circuits, and programmable
processing circuits—provides flexible system integration and reliable
performance, all in a small TO-8 package.
To accommodate new applications and changing operating
conditions, an embedded microcontroller allows quick configuration
of the photoreceiver and optimization of performance as a function
of ambient temperature—without using thermoelectric cooling.
Factory-calibrated settings automatically configure the detector for
one of several modes programmed into the memory of each
photoreceiver. For each operating temperature, these modes
include: constant gain, optimal sensitivity, optimal noise equivalent
input (NEI), and constant responsivity.
To achieve the desired pulse-detection probability and false-alarm
rate (FAR), the threshold voltage of the detector can be manually
adjusted. To reduce false alarms caused by scattering, the threshold
can be adjusted as a function of laser flight time using the time-
variable threshold (TVT).
The photoreceiver outputs a differential digital signal for both the rising
edge and the falling edge of a pulse. This allows time-over-threshold
(TOT) correction to be used where range-walk errors would otherwise
result from variations in pulse amplitude. The analog output allows
signals to be digitized and pulse processing to be performed.
A range of APD diameters and immersion lens options are available.
Fiberoptic pigtailing for the receiver is also available.
EAR 99: NOT ITAR CONTROLLED
FEATURES High-gain, Low-noise Photodetector:
InGaAs APD
Wide Spectral Response: 950 – 1700 nm
High Bandwidth: Greater than 250 MHz
Low Noise Equivalent Input (NEI): as low
as 45 photons
Large Total Dynamic Range: 70 dB
User-programmable: Variable threshold
detection and time-variable threshold
(TVT)
Easy to Operate: Automated bias
control, calibrated to optimize
performance from -50 °C to 85 °C.
Four Factory-calibrated Modes for
Temperature-compensated Operation:
stable gain (M = 1); optimal sensitivity;
optimal NEI; and constant responsivity.
Low System Power Consumption: 154
mW typical
Long Lifetime: 85,000 hours MTTF
Robust: Qualified for guns and other
extreme environments
Flexible Integration: Evaluation boards
and laser ranging electronics available
CONTACT INFO VOXTEL INC.
15985 NW SCHENDEL AVE #200
BEAVERTON, OR 97006
971-223-5642
WWW.VOXTEL-INC.COM
Voxtel Literature ROX Series InGaAs Photoreceivers 12Apr2019 ©. Voxtel makes no warranty or representation regarding its products’ specific application suitability and may make changes to the products described without notice.
41
42
Specifications Performance RUC1-JIAC RUC1-NIAC RUC1-KIAC
Spectral response,1 λ 950 nm – 1700 nm
Optical collection-area diameter2 75 μm 200 μm 250 μm3
APD diameter2 75 μm 200 μm 75 μm
Noise equivalent input (NEI)1,4,5,6,7 45 photons 45 photons 45 photons
Photon equivalent sensitivity4,8 245 photons 290 photons 245 photons
Noise equivalent power1,6,7,9 0.20 nW 0.45 nW 0.20 nW
Range precision1,4,6,10 50 mm 60 mm 50 mm
Target pair resolution1,10 5 meters 5 meters 5 meters
Bandwidth1,11 275 MHz 257 MHz 275 MHz
Cuton frequency11 4.74 kHz 4.66 kHz 4.52 kHz
APD gain (M)1 1 – 20 1 – 20 1 – 20
APD responsivity (M = 1)6 1.1 A/W 1.1 A/W 1.1 A/W
APD excess noise (M = 10)1,12,13 3.50 3.50 3.50
Maximum instantaneous optical power1,6,14 6 MW/cm2
Factory-calibrated Operating Modes15,16
START Pulse Length Program Description
1 125 µs ±10 µs M = 1
2 150 µs ±10 µs Optimal gain for ~10 – 350-Hz FAR (calibrated at 150-Hz FAR)
3 200 µs ±10 µs Optimal gain to achieve best NEI at each temperature
4 175 µs ±10 µs Not specified or custom configured17
Digital Output2
Comparator threshold useable range 0.45 V – 1.0 V
Time-variable threshold (TVT) decay time 2.6 μs
Dynamic range, linear 25 dB
Dynamic range, total 70 dB
Analog Output1,2,4,12,18
Max small signal responsivity19 8,620 kV/W 8,620 kV/W 8,620 kV/W
Analog output noise 1.07 mV RMS 1.37 mV RMS 1.07 mV RMS
Analog output swing 0.186 V 0.186 V 0.186 V
Analog output dynamic range 7.4 bits 7.1 bits 7.4 bits
Power Requirements—Threshold Levels2
Low-voltage circuits, 1.8 V APD supply 8.1 mA
Low-voltage circuits, 5 V APD supply 1.5 mA
High-voltage (HV) circuits, < 63 V APD supply 2.2 mA
Power consumption, standby/ranging (HV off/HV on) 22 mW / 154 mW
Environmental1
Operational temperature range -50 °C to +85 °C
1 Sampled from manufacturing data (available upon request)
2 Based on eng. design analysis supported by experimental data
3 At input to hemispheric BK7 immersion (500 µm dia.) lens
4 4-ns pulse length 5 Optimal gain 6 1534-nm spectral response 7 25 °C 8 60-Hz FAR, 50% PDE
9 20-ns pulse length 10 5x NEI photon pulse amplitude 11 Bandwidth over which conversion gain is
greater than 200 kV/W (at M = 10) 12 Gain: M = 10 13 keff < 0.18 parameterization of McIntyre
Equation: F(M) = keff M + (1 – keff)(2 – 1/M) 14 Gain of M = 1 15 Specifications are included w/Cert. of
Conformance w/each APD
16 All parts temperature-compensated for performance over op. temp. range; beyond this range, analytical approximations are used to compensate photoreceiver for optimal performance
17 At high temp in constant responsivity mode dark counts may saturate the receiver
18 50Ω load 19 Gain of M = 20 is assumed
43
Typical Performance—Pulse Sensitivity vs. Pulse Width
Conversion Gain (M = 10) Transfer Function—Comparison of ROX Photoreceiver to an APD with a MAX3658
Transimpedance Amplifier
44
Ordering Information
Standalone/Integrated Receivers In addition to the standalone TO-8 packages*, the ROX InGaAs APD Photoreceivers are available integrated
with fiber or integrated with time-of-flight (TOF) and control electronics. These options are also available
without receiver integration—as standalone support components.
TO-8 Packaged APD Receiver* Plus:
APD Size -
(Standalone)
62.5/125 µm (0.27 NA) Fiber
Coupling†
105/125 µm (0.22 NA) Fiber
Coupling‡
200 µm (0.37 NA) Fiber
Coupling§
Shipped with TOF & Control Electronics‖
75 µm RUC1-JIAC - - - EU0K-J00C
200 µm RUC1-NIAC RUC1-NIQC RUC1-NIRC RUC1-NITC EU0K-N00C
250 µm CA¶ RUC1-KIAC - - RUC1-KITC EU0K-K00C
500 µm RUC1-PIAC - - - EU0K-P00C
* includes integrated pulse-detection ASIC & APD size indicated † 62.5-µm-core/125-µm-clad (0.27 NA) FC/PC fiber pigtail ‡ 105-µm-core/125-µm-clad (0.22 NA) FC/PC fiber pigtail § 200-µm-core (0.37 NA) FC/PC fiber pigtail
‖ TO-8 packaged APD receiver* is mounted to a socket board with time-of-flight and control electronics. For unintegrated
¶ 250-µm collection area immersion-lensed APD
Standalone Support Components (TO-8 Packaged APD Receiver Not Included) These standalone support components are intended for use with the above standalone ROX InGaAs APD
photoreceivers; photoreceivers are not included.
Standalone Support Component (TO-8 Packaged APD Receiver Not Included)) Part Number
Photoreceiver evaluation board WRR0A
Photoreceiver socket board with Time-of-flight & control electronics** EU0K-X00C
** This is equivalent to the TOF & Control Electronics option above (see Standalone/Integrated Receivers‖) without the TO-8 Packaged APD Receiver above (see Standalone/Integrated Receivers*).
APD OPTICAL MODEL
Without Immersion Lens (RUC1-JIAC, RUC1-NIAC, RUC1-PIAC)
With Immersion Lens (RUC1-KIAC)
45
Collection Efficiency—With 250-µm Immersion-lensed APD (RUC1-KIAC) Collection efficiency as a function of APD center offset from optical axis is shown for various f-numbers—
including bare APD (i.e., with no hemisphere; labelled “no HS” in graph)—for a 250-µm-collection-area
immersion-lensed APD:
MECHANICAL
Fiberoptic Pigtailed Models Parts shipped with PVC tight jacket 900 µm; 1m (+0.2m/-0.0.m); FC/PC termination connector.
46
ELECTRICAL
Block Diagram
Pinout The TO-8 package has 12 pins: six user-required inputs, a differential signal output pair, a bias monitor point for built-in
test, a buffered analog output signal, and two calibration and servicing points. These last two pins can be used to
custom-configure and calibrate the photoreceiver.
INPUT 2 VCMOS2 Power supply
input +5 VDC Provides power to the microcontroller, EEPROM, APD bias controller,
and related electronics. The APD receives the bias voltage only when VAPD (Pin 10) and VCMOS2 are applied.
<1% ripple
3 VCMOS1 Power supply input
+1.8 VDC Provides power to the ASIC. <1% ripple
4 START User input +5 V TTLpulse
The rising edge of this pulse initiates photoreceiver operation; the pulse width determines photoreceiver program mode. This command is used to update the APD bias using the factory calibration settings.
7 μDATA Optional input 5 V TTL (otherwise left
floating)
This data line—used by the microcontroller to communicate with other internal inter-integrated circuit (I2C) devices and related hardware—is used primarily for factory configuration, calibration, or servicing. Except during in-field user calibration or remote servicing, this pin should be left floating.
8 Vth User input 0.4 to 1 V This user-supplied threshold voltage reference is used by the pulse-detection circuit to detect the threshold pulse. Generally, the level chosen is one that maximizes pulse-detection efficiency (PDE) and minimizes FAR.
Do not exceed
1.8 V
10 VAPD User input +60 VDC This user-supplied high-voltage level is used by the APD bias controller to generate conditioned APD bias voltage.
<1% ripple
11 Agnd User input GND Used to provide external ground for analog and digital circuitry inside receiver. Use 50Ω termination at input to next stage amplifier or
oscilloscope.
12 μCLK Optional input 5V TTL (otherwise left
floating)
This clock line for the microcontroller’s I2C port is used: by the microcontroller inside the photoreceiver to communicate with other internal I2C devices; and at the factory for test and calibration. Except for custom photoreceiver programming, diagnostics, or operational built-in test, this pin should be left floating to ensure it remains accessible to the microcontroller.
I2C logic
OUTPUT 1 SigMon Analog
output This analog signal output—which is output from the transimpedance
amplifier (TIA)—maintains the receiver’s full linear dynamic range and sensitivity; it is designed to drive a 50-Ω load impedance and has a DC offset of ~100 mV. If not used in operations, this pin should be left floating.
5 Sig(-) Signal output 0 to +1.8 V
This signal output is the negative of the photoreceiver’s differential digital output. When the amplified pulse-echo signal exceeds the user-supplied Vth threshold reference (Pin 8), this output transitions to a low state. An internal 500-Ω resistor is in series with this output.
Assumes high impedance
load
6 Sig(+) Signal output 0 to +1.8 V
This signal output complements the Sig(-) signal output (Pin 5). Normally, this pin is set to the low state, and—upon pulse-echo detection—it transitions to a high state, much like the internal 500-Ω resistor in this series.
Assumes high impedance
load
9 BiasMon Bias test point Current-monitor test point; used for factory test and calibration. Except for diagnostics or built-in tests to verify the APD output or determine the APD gain, this pin should be left floating.
47
ROX PHOTORECEIVER OPERATION
Provisioning Power When VCMOS1, VCMOS2, and VAPD are applied, the microcontroller starts its clock, enters the run state, measures the APD
temperature, sets the APD gain to M = 1 (mode 1), then enters the sleep state. These biases may be applied to the
chip in any order without risking any damage to the receiver. The photoreceiver is then ready to operate and will begin
to detect pulses upon receipt of the range command.
Signal Amplification and Pulse Detection The ROX receiver integrates a Voxtel-proprietary InGaAs APD sensitive over the 950-nm to 1700-nm spectral range
with stable avalanche gain up to M = 20. For most conditions, the operational optimum is achieved at lower gain.
The excess noise of the APD is characterized by McIntyre parameterization of k < 0.18. The avalanche-multiplied signal
from the APD is processed by a custom Voxtel-designed ASIC. The ASIC includes a two-stage resistive TIA that converts
the APD’s output current into an amplified voltage signal that is fed to a leading-edge pulse discriminator; the threshold
voltage reference level, Vth, is user-supplied. To prevent false triggering from unwanted returns during the initial pulse-
transmission period, a time-variable-threshold function is available. The Vth threshold bias includes an RC circuit, which
allows for temporal decay of the threshold for about 2.6 µs following application of the threshold voltage.
Upon detecting a signal, the pulse-detection circuit generates a differential output pulse [Sig(+) and Sig(-)] with a
duration proportional to the pulse amplitude. Because a proportional logic signal is output for both the leading edge
and the falling edge of the pulse-amplitude signal, time-over-threshold (TOT) correction is enabled. This allows
correction for amplitude-dependent timing variation. Using the TOT duration, correction of range-walk errors is
enabled up to a 70-dB range of signal amplitudes.
The buffered analog signal is also available as an output. The buffered output signal can be sampled or digitized for
use in false-alarm rejection and signal processing.
Time-variable Threshold (TVT) To reduce the susceptibility of triggering from foreground pulse returns, the ROX receiver can be configured for time-
variable threshold via a factory-configured RC filter circuit in the photoreceiver.
When the external value of Vth is changed from one value to another—e.g., from a high voltage level, Vth,hi, to a low
voltage level, Vth,lo—the internal threshold Vth(τ) changes according to the RC time constant of 2.6 μs (102-kΩ resistor
and 25.5-pF capacitor). The time constant changes the threshold as follows:
Vth (τ) = Vth,hi- (Vth,hi – Vth,lo)·e-τ⁄R·C
where Vth,hi is the initial threshold value, and Vth,lo is the final desired threshold value.
APD Bias and Temperature Compensation WARNING: If the bias is held constant, changes in temperature will cause avalanche gain levels to vary. If the
temperature of the APD is less than it was during calibration, higher overall avalanche gain will
likely result. This can cause the APD to be biased above the avalanche breakdown voltage. For this
reason, it is critical to start the device in a stable-gain mode (e.g., operating mode 1, where M = 1)
and to command APD bias compensation regularly during operation. Otherwise, the sustained
avalanche breakdown currents may damage the APD.
APD gain changes with temperature. To avoid the complications associated with thermoelectric coolers (TECs), such
as power draw and cost, the ROX series of photoreceivers uses a temperature-dependent bias-compensation
scheme, where—for each of the four factory-calibrated modes—APD biases at temperatures throughout the
operational range are factory-programmed in the photoreceiver. State-machine control—including temperature
sensing and gain compensation—are performed using a Microchip PIC12F series microcontroller
(www.microchip.com) integrated in the TO-8 package.
The APD bias is updated with the pulse-width-encoded START signal. Each time the START signal is sent, the
photoreceiver measures the temperature and updates the APD bias for the selected operating mode. The APD bias
controller generates a conditioned bias voltage for the APD using signals from the microcontroller to achieve the
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desired avalanche gain using the most recent temperature measurement. Provided that the user-supplied bias (VAPD)
is present at the appropriate input pin of the photoreceiver, the microcontroller sends a signal to the 10-bit digital-to-
analog converter (DAC), which biases the input to the APD bias controller. The bias controller amplifies the input
voltage from the DAC by a factor of 30 and applies it to the APD. The DAC provides a maximum APD bias voltage
variation of 146 mV.
to achieve stable operating and to avoid damage to the APD, the START command should be sent regularly during
operation—preferably before every measurement taken. The breakdown voltage of the APD changes about 33
mV/°C. Avalanche gain drops as temperature rises, and rises as temperature drops. Thus, updating the APD bias
regularly with the factory temperature-calibrated APD bias settings allows stable photoreceiver operation.
Due to temperature-dependent APD gain, if the START command is not used to calibrate the APD for the ambient
temperature, the APD may be caused to be biased above the breakdown voltage, which will cause damage to the
detector. This can occur, for instance, when the APD is calibrated last at a high operating temperature, and is not
updated using the START command as the operating temperature drops. As the APD gain increases at colder
temperatures, the APD can then enter into avalanche breakdown, which will damage the APD. Thus, periodic update
of the calibration is required using the START command.
PHOTORECEIVER OPERATING MODES
Factory Calibration The microcontroller is configured at the factory with four user-selectable programs stored in a look-up table in the
photoreceiver. The microcontroller uses the look-up table to determine the APD bias voltage for the user-selected
operating mode. Each operating mode provides automatic temperature compensation of multiplication gain by
adjusting the reverse bias on the APD. The microcontroller can also be custom-programmed with custom startup
sequences and operating schemes.
The photoreceiver can be set to any of the factory-configured operating modes programmed in the microcontroller.
To select the desired operating mode, the START signal to the APD is applied for the duration specific to the desired
operating mode, and a pulse-width-encoded signal is sent to the microcontroller. Upon receipt of the START
command, the microcontroller measures the temperature of the APD, and—based on the user-provided pulse-width-
encoded value—uses the temperature reading to address the look-up table to determine the optimal APD bias for
the selected operating mode.
Constant Gain: APD gain decreases as temperature increases, and increases as temperature decreases. Thus, to
maintain a constant gain, the APD bias must be adjusted as the operating temperature changes. The APD bias is
calibrated at the factory so that—at each specified temperature—the bias necessary to achieve the specified gain
is used to operate the detector. To minimize damage to the photoreceiver due to high laser pulse energies, a bias
setting of M = 1 is recommended when first powering-on the photoreceiver. For most ROX receiver models, the bias
conditions for M = 1 are included in the factory calibration as Mode 1.
Optimal Sensitivity: Each ROX photoreceiver is calibrated at the factory by operating the photoreceiver without any
optical signal—that is, in the dark. At each temperature, an automatic optimization routine uses a digital counter to
measure the false alarms present at a threshold that achieves a 50% probability of detecting an optical signal at the
specified false-alarm rate. At each temperature, the bias that results in the best photon-equivalent sensitivity is stored
in the photoreceiver memory. In general, when using this operating mode: At high temperatures, to reduce FAR
contributions due to APD dark current, gain is reduced; at low temperature, to compensate for limited photoreceiver
sensitivity resulting from ASIC noise (as opposed to noise from APD dark current), the APD gain is increased. The
required FAR is generally application specific and can be estimated using the relationship FAR = (c*Pfa)/ (2*R), where
Pfa is the probability of a false alarm; C is the speed of light (3 x 108 m/s), and R is the maximum target range in meters
(e.g., for a target Pfa of 0.25% at a maximum range of 2.5 km, the target FAR is 150 Hz). When in use, upon user
command, the APD biases are updated for the current operating temperature. Using the factory-configured biases,
when in use, the FAR contributions from background optical radiation (e.g., solar contribution) can be measured by
operating the photoreceiver without any laser pulses, and the threshold can be adjusted to achieve the desired FAR
in the presence of background radiation. This allows the ROX photoreceiver to be dynamically optimized for
operational requirements.
Optimal Noise Equivalent Input (NEI) / Optimal Noise Equivalent Power (NEP): In this mode of operation, to calibrate
the photoreceiver, for each gain, the threshold is swept over its full voltage range without illumination. The plot of the
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measured count rate at each bias, is fit to a cumulative distribution function (CDF) of a normal distribution. The photon
count of the normal distribution that results in the best fit to the measured values, is the noise equivalent input (NEI).
The NEI measured at each avalanche gain is calculated over the temperature range, and the gain values that result
in the lowest NEI are stored in each ROX APD photoreceiver after factory calibration.
Constant Responsivity (Normalized to the Gain that Results in the Best NEI at 25 °C): The calibration for this operating
mode is similar to those above. However, rather than optimizing the gain for each temperature, the APD gain that
allows for the best NEI at 25 °C is determined, and the APD gain is compensated at each operating temperature so
that responsivity is constant over the operating temperature range. The constant responsivity mode reaches saturation
at high and low operating temperatures, so the constant responsivity is achieved over a smaller temperature range
than the specified receiver operating temperature range.
Selecting Operating Modes The receiver is biased in the OFF condition when the power to the photoreceiver is removed. In this mode, the biases
are removed from VCMOS1, VCMOS2, and VAPD in any sequence. To protect the APD from large signals, VAPD may also be
powered off separately. For operation, the desired operating mode is selected by applying the START signal for the
duration listed in the START Pulse Width column of the specifications table. Each mode requires 15 ms to set up before
operation can resume. A brief description of each program mode follows:
Mode 1: With the application of VCMOS1, VCMOS2, and VAPD, the microcontroller starts its clock, enters the run state, measures
the APD temperature, sets the APD gain to M = 1, then enters the sleep state. These biases may be applied to the chip
in any order without risking any damage to the receiver.
All Other Modes (i.e., 2 – 4): The APD bias is established within 15 ms of receiving the START signal. After receiving the
START signal, the microcontroller digitizes the value from the temperature sensor using the internal 10-bit analog-to-
digital converter (ADC). This temperature measurement is used to address the look-up tables stored in the EEPROM
for the selected operating mode. The contents of the look-up table are used to set the appropriate APD bias voltage
for the measured temperature. Once the voltage is set, the microcontroller again enters a sleep state, wherein all
digital switching, including the internal clock, are stopped to reduce digital noise coupling to the analog signal chain.
With the microcontroller in the sleep state, the receiver operates in the current mode until the next START pulse is
received.
RANGE PRECISION
Using the speed of light, lidar sensors calculate the distance of an object using the equation: Range = (Speed of light × time of flight of laser pulse) ÷ 2. The range precision can be calculated similarly. For example, achieving a 2-cm
range precision requires timestamps with resolution of about 133 ps.
To maximize performance over a wide dynamic range, the photoreceiver is configured with a leading-edge pulse-
discriminating detection circuit. The ASIC’s comparator receives the input optical pulse, then—when the leading edge
of the pulse crosses the input threshold voltage value (Vth,int)—generates a signal. In the absence of noise and amplitude
variations, the leading-edge discriminator marks the arrival time of each analog pulse with precision and consistency.
Electronic noise causes an uncertainty—or jitter—when the analog pulse crosses the discriminator threshold, which
determines the range precision. In general, higher operating gain and larger signals result in better timing precision.
PULSE-PAIR RESOLUTION
Pulse-pair resolution is defined here as the minimum time between target returns that can be recorded. The ROX
generates a minimum output pulse width of 7 nanoseconds, which—in combination with the time-to-digital converter
(TDC)—limits the pulse-pair resolution to no better than about 0.5 meters. Voxtel designed the ROX photoreceiver to
accommodate optical power levels varying up to 70 dB. In this range, the photoreceiver recovers from a pulse within
70 ns (about 10 meters), and is again ready to receive optical pulses. Over the linear part of the response—when the
analog signal is not saturated, about 20 dB—the pulse-pair resolution is better than 5 meters.
RANGE-PRECISION ENHANCEMENT USING TIME-OVER-THRESHOLD CORRECTION
Range walk is the systematic dependence of the timing on the input pulse amplitude. With a leading-edge timing
discriminator, smaller pulses produce an output from the discriminator later than larger pulses, leading to variable
timing in response to variations in input pulse amplitudes. For scenarios in which a wide range of pulse amplitudes are
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received, range-walk errors due to signal strength can seriously degrade the timing accuracy. Thus, to ensure
accurate range timing, range walk must be minimized or eliminated. To mitigate the effects of range walk, the ROX
includes a time-over-threshold (TOT) feature, where the times of the pulse’s leading-edge and falling-edge threshold
crossings are used to compute the TOT. To calculate TOT, the time of the leading-edge event is subtracted from that
of the falling-edge event; the resulting TOT is proportional to the pulse amplitude. To mitigate range-walk errors
resulting from variations in pulse signal strength, TOT can be calibrated for the range of anticipated pulse amplitudes.
Range-walk error and TOT at the output of the receiver is shown as a function of the input signal amplitude.
The range walk (time walk) and measured digital output pulse width (time over threshold) plotted as a function of input signal pulse amplitude. The plot shows values corrected using a bilinear approximation and using a calibrated look-up table. Here, the bilinear equations are y = -0.234x – 15.79 for TOT values below 27 ns, and y = -0.035x – 9.11
for TOT values higher than 27 ns.
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APD PHOTORECEIVER AND LASER RANGING CONTROL
ELECTRONICS
INCLUDES 0.9-1.7-MICRON-SENSISTIVE INGAAS APD PHOTORECEIVER AND TIME-
OF-FLIGHT & CONTROL ELECTRONICS
Voxtel’s APD Receiver and Laser Ranging Control Electronics gives
system designers a turnkey laser-ranging solution for thermal, electro-
optical, and optical scope integration. Included are Voxtel’s ROX™
avalanche photodiode (APD) photoreceiver—which offers best-in-
class sensitivity, enabling long-standoff range performance with less
laser pulse energy—paired with Voxtel’s programmable time-to-digital
converter (TDC) and programmable controller board, which can be
used to control a user-provided laser. The result is a compact,
lightweight highly-reliable ranging module with excellent
performance.
Each is factory calibrated. To provide optimal performance over
a -50 °C to +85 °C temperature range, four operating modes are
included: bias for best noise equivalent input (NEI) operation; bias for
optimal sensitivity for a 10-Hz to 350-Hz false alarm rate (FAR); stable
photoreceiver responsivity; and stable gain (M = 1). Programming is
made easily using commands from a flexible serial communications
library, communicated over a simple serial UART interface.
Other user-programmable features include: time-variable-threshold
(TVT), used to reduce false alarms due to nearfield scattering,
time-over-threshold (TOT) range walk correction, used to reduce
amplitude-dependent range-walk errors autocalibration, used to set
the threshold to achieve a user-defined FAR given ambient
background optical radiation conditions multi-pulse processing,
used to enhance range and resolution passive operation, used to
measure the pulse-repetition frequency of external lasers.
The APD Receiver with Laser Ranging Control Electronics can
optionally include a Voxtel-provided diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS)
laser or photoreceiver optics. Also available is an optional auxiliary
board that includes an integrated attitude and heading reference
system (AHRS) module with a 9-axis IMU and a Bluetooth low-energy
communications module.
Voxtel Literature ROX Series InGaAs Photoreceivers 12Apr2019 ©. Voxtel makes no warranty or representation regarding its products’ specific application suitability and may make changes to the products described without notice.
EAR 99: NOT ITAR CONTROLLED
FEATURES Low Excess Noise: Impact-
ionization engineered InGaAs APD
Excellent NEI: as low as 45 photons
Factory Calibration: Each receiver
calibrated for optimal operation
over the full temperature range
Easily Configured: Software
commands for single-pulse and
multi-pulse operation, time-
variable threshold, and automatic
background compensation
OPTIONS Turnkey Laser Rangefinder (LRF)
Modules: Available as original
equipment manufacturer (OEM)
modules or as robust electro-
optical assemblies
System-Integrator Kits: Available
with integrated DPSS laser
Auxiliary Boards: Including AHRS
and Bluetooth communications
CONTACT INFO
VOXTEL INC.
15985 NW SCHENDEL AVE #200
BEAVERTON, OR 97006
971-223-5642
WWW.VOXTEL-INC.COM
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SPECIFICATIONS
APD Receiver and Laser Ranging Control Electronics EU0K-N00C EU0K-J00C
Voxtel APD photoreceiver model number RUC1-NIAC RUC1-JIAC
APD collection aperture 200 µm 75 µm
Noise equivalent input1 45 photons 45 photons
Total dynamic range 70 dB
Linear dynamic range 25 dB
APD gain range (M) 1 – 20
APD responsivity2 (M = 1) 1.1 A/W
Number of returns per pulse, maximum3 20
Target separation, minimum4 5 m
Range precision (single-pulse/multi-pulse)5,6 500 mm / 100 mm
Minimum range7 20 m
Power consumption, LRF disabled < 1 mW
Power consumption, standby 250 mW
Power consumption, 1-Hz continuous ranging8 800 mW 800 mW
Timing, power-on to standby 45 ms
Timing, standby to range 180 ms
Communications interface Serial commands, UART 3.3V CMOS Logic
Analog signal max 3 V
Weight (all components: ROX InGaAs APD Photoreceiver mounted on Socket Board, LRF System Board, and 2” Flex Ribbon Connector)
18.9 g
Operating humidity (relative humidity) 90%
Operating temperature -50 °C to +85 °C
Storage temperature -55 °C to +100 °C
1 Multi-pulse (1 s) 2 30% reflective 3.3 x 3.3 m2 target 3 Max including 1 T0 pulse 4 Target return level <= 10x NEI
5 90% probability of detection, < 2% false alarm probability (single
pulse), < 60 mW/cm2 ambient solar background 6 When calibrated with time-over-threshold (1 σ) 7 10 m is possible with lower energy laser models 8 25 °C
CONFIGURATION
ELECTRICAL BLOCK DIAGRAM
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Connector Pin Assignments
LRF System Board User Interface (Hirose DF3-8P-2DS)
APD Photoreceiver Board The functionality of the electrical connections to the APD photoreceiver can be found on the ROX InGaAs APD Photoreceivers datasheet and user manual.
Pin Name In/Out Description Typ
1 VAPD Input APD bias voltage
2 GND Input Ground GND
3 NC Input High voltage isolation NA
4 GND Input Ground
5 AGND Input Analog ground GND
6 SIG- Output 1.8V full-swing complementary digital output signal from receiver 1.8V
7 AGND Input Analog ground
8 SIG+ Output 1.8V full-swing complementary digital output signal from receiver 1.8V
9 3.3V Input 3.3V digital supply 3.3V
10 GND Input Ground
11 VthSW Input Threshold voltage switch for TVT—switches between VTh,hi and Vth, lo
12 NC NA No connect NA
13 VthL Input Threshold low voltage
14 GND Input Ground GND
15 VthH Input Threshold high voltage
16 uCLK Input i2c clock for photoreceiver (two-wire interface)
17 AGND Input Analog ground
18 uDATA Input i2c data for photoreceiver (two-wire interface)
19 VCMOS2 Input 5V ROX photoreceiver supply 5VDC
20 START Input Receiver mode control
UFL Connector
Analog Output Analog Output 1.8 V
Laser Driver Board For electrical connections to the laser driver board, see Voxtel’s DPSS Laser datasheet.
Pin Name In/Out Description Min Typ Max
1 LRF_RANGE Input Initiates a range measurement when a rising edge is
detected on this pin. 3.3 V
2 LASERGATE Output Laser gate signal to the laser diode driver board. This can
be monitored or actively driven. 3.3 V
3 LRF_ENABLE Input Active low enable. Pin pulled up to 5V with 100 kΩ resistor.
Pull low to enable LRF power.
4 NC NA No Connect NA
5 GND Input System Ground Ground
6 TX Output UART Transmit 3.3V
7 RX Input UART Receiver 3.3V
8 5V Input System Power Input 5V
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Timing Diagrams
Power-up to Range Timing
Ranging Operation Timing Diagram—LRF Single-Pulse Range Cycle
Configuration for Triggering the Time-to-Digital Converter Using an External Electrical T0 To configure the LRF to receive an electronic T0 pulse, users can supply a maximum 1.8V pulse to the UFL connector
located on the LRF system board (see Mechanical Drawings, LRF System Board) using a 50-ohm terminated cable.
The external T0 pulse is enabled using software commands to configure the board.
SOFTWARE CONTROL
The APD Receiver and Laser Ranging Control Electronics can be easily programmed using the simple serial
communications command set over a simple serial UART interface.
User-programmable features include: time-variable threshold (TVT), used to reduce false alarms due to nearfield
scattering, time-over-threshold (TOT) range-walk compensation, used to reduce amplitude-dependent timing errors
autocalibration, used to set the threshold to achieve a user-defined FAR given ambient background optical
radiation conditions multi-pulse processing, used to enhance range and resolution passive operation, used to
measure the pulse-repetition frequency of external lasers.
The available commands can be found in the Voxtel document: LRF Software ICD: Modules, Kits, and Components. To configure and operate the LRF using a terminal emulator of a graphic user interface, see the Quick Start section of
the Voxtel document: LRF User Manual: Modules, Kits, and Components. These documents are shipped with the
product and are available at voxtel-inc.com. The website can also be used to download software to update device
drivers and firmware.
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MECHANICAL DRAWINGS
LRF System Board
ROX APD Photoreceiver Board
Ribbon Cable
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ROX™ APD PHOTORECEIVER EVALUATION BOARD
The ROXTM APD Photoreceiver Evaluation Board—a peripheral option designed for use with the ROX photoreceivers—
allows users to quickly evaluate the performance of the ROX photoreceivers. The evaluation board is delivered with
an AC-to-DC power adaptor that provides all the power, control, and signal conditioning needed to operate the
ROX photoreceiver, and with hardware that allows the board to be mounted on an optical table for evaluation. To
select the photoreceiver operating mode, a simple dual-in-line plug (DIP) connector is used. To adjust the threshold
voltage setting, a potentiometer is used. The evaluation board also accommodates time-variable threshold.
SPECIFICATIONS
Connector
Digital Output
J4 SMA connector CMOS logic signal
J3 3-pin connector Digital pulse detection: center pin is ground; outer 2 pins are +/- signal, 3.3V LVDS
Analog Output
J2 SMA connector Buffered analog signal (50Ωload, 160 mV max signal)
Analog Input
J6 SMA connector T0 trigger; 5V logic
Power
J800 Barrel-pin jack +5V ±3% power board is shipped w/suitable power adapter
Programming
SW1-SW4 Push-button switches Activates individual photoreceiver operating modes.
SW5 Push-button switch Enables setting of Vth,lo
J7 Two-pin header Enables optical T0 initiation of TVT when jumper is used to short Pin 2 and Pin 3
Enables external electrical T0 when Pin 1 is connected to Pin 2
Disables TVT function when jumper is removed
Control
R20 Potentiometer Vth,lo control [set with SW5 enabled (pressed down)]
R35 Potentiometer Vth,hi control
R905 Potentiometer Factory pre-set—do not use
R906 Potentiometer Factory pre-set—do not use; controls the high voltage for the APD*
* The ROX receiver contains an internal voltage regulator that sets the actual APD bias voltage.
ORDERING INFORMATION Part Number
ROX™ APD Photoreceiver Evaluation Board WRR0A
Page | 7
Facilities
VoxtelOpto’s corporate headquarters are located in our 18,000‐sq.‐ft. facility in Beaverton, Oregon with research labs in both Corvallis and Eugene, Oregon. Our cross‐functional group of scientists, engineers and management professionals—over 80% of whom hold advanced degrees—includes device‐design experts, process‐development engineers, integrated circuit designers, systems engineers, and test and integration experts.
15985 NW Schendel Ave., Beaverton, OR 97006 | phone: (971) 223‐5642 | web: voxtel‐inc.com
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