FMCW lidar with wavelength diversity

A lidar system, comprising:

• a photonics integrated circuit, comprising:
• a first laser configured to operate at a first wavelength;
• a second laser configured to operate at a second wavelength, wherein the second wavelength differs from the first wavelength;
• an optical resonator that is optically coupled to both the first laser and the second laser, the optical resonator being formed of an electrooptic material, wherein the first laser and the second laser are optically injection locked to the optical resonator;
• a single modulator configured to apply a time-varying voltage to the optical resonator, the time-varying voltage controls modulation of an optical property of the electrooptic material to cause the first laser to generate a first frequency modulated optical signal comprising a first series of optical chirps and the second laser to generate a second frequency modulated optical signal comprising a second series of optical chirps;
• and
• a beam combiner configured to combine the first frequency modulated optical signal and the second frequency modulated optical signal to form a combined frequency modulated optical signal;
• and
• front end optics optically coupled to the photonics integrated circuit, the front end optics configured to transmit at least a portion of the combined frequency modulated optical signal into an environment from the lidar system.

A method of operating a lidar system, comprising:

• applying a time-varying voltage to an optical resonator of the lidar system, the time-varying voltage being applied to the optical resonator by a single modulator of the lidar system, the optical resonator being optically coupled to both a first laser of the lidar system and a second laser of the lidar system, the first laser is configured to operate at a first wavelength and the second laser is configured to operate at a differing, second wavelength, the optical resonator being formed of an electrooptic material, the first laser and the second laser are optically injection locked to the optical resonator, the time-varying voltage controls modulation of an optical property of the electrooptic material to cause the first laser to generate a first frequency modulated optical signal comprising a first series of optical chirps and the second laser to generate a second frequency modulated optical signal comprising a second series of optical chirps;
• combining the first frequency modulated optical signal and the second frequency modulated optical signal to form a combined frequency modulated optical signal;
• and
• transmitting at least a portion of the combined frequency modulated optical signal into an environment from the lidar system.