Picosecond semiconductor laser radar with optical amplifier

An optical range finder, which uses the same semiconductor laser as both an optical pulse source and an optical preamplifier of the reflected pulse, is reported. This method has the advantage of reducing the number of optical components that must be aligned, which makes it suitable as a picosecond laser radar in aerospace applications. The device showed a maximum optical gain of 17 dB with a dynamic range of 33 dB, and the obtained resolution was of the order of 1 mm.