# US 12,222,448 B1 · LIDAR sensor system including integrated modulator > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,222,448 B1 - Document ID: US12222448B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 18/516,671 - Filed: 2023-11-21 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2023-11-21 - Assignees: Aurora Operations, Inc. - Applicants: Aurora Operations, Inc. - Inventors: Ashish Bhardwaj; Sen Lin; Dong Liu; Xue Liu; Andrew Steil Michaels - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12222448B1 ## CPC - G01S 7/4816: {of receivers alone} - G01S 17/931: of land vehicles - H10F 77/146: {Superlattices; Multiple quantum well structures} - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION ## Abstract A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor system for a vehicle can include: a light source configured to output a beam; a photonics integrated circuit (PIC) including a semiconductor die, the semiconductor die including a substrate having two or more semiconductor stacks respectively associated with two or more semiconductor devices formed on the substrate, the two or more semiconductor devices respectively configured to receive the beam from the light source and modify one or more features of the beam; a transmitter configured to receive the beam from the semiconductor die; and one or more optics configured to receive the beam from the transmitter and emit the beam towards an object. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor system for a vehicle, the LIDAR sensor system comprising: a light source configured to output a beam; a photonics integrated circuit (PIC) comprising a semiconductor die, the semiconductor die comprising a substrate having two or more semiconductor stacks respectively associated with two or more different semiconductor devices formed on the substrate, the two or more different semiconductor devices respectively configured to receive the beam from the light source and modify one or more features of the beam, wherein a first semiconductor device of the two or more different semiconductor devices comprises a first plurality of layers including the substrate, wherein a second semiconductor device of the two or more different semiconductor devices comprises a second plurality of layers including the substrate, wherein a second arrangement of the second plurality of layers differs from a first arrangement of the first plurality of layers, and wherein the first arrangement of the first plurality of layers and the second arrangement of the second plurality of layers are formed by parallel regrowth on the substrate; a transmitter configured to receive the beam from the semiconductor die; and one or more optics configured to receive the beam from the transmitter and emit the beam towards an object. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first plurality of layers comprise an n-doped group III-V semiconductor layer, a multiple quantum wells (MQW) layer, and a p-doped group III-V semiconductor layer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the second plurality of layers comprise an n-doped semiconductor layer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, further comprising one or more third layers comprising one or more waveguide layers configured to propagate optical signals. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The LIDAR system of claim 4, wherein the one or more waveguide layers comprise group III-V semiconductor material providing improved transmission characteristics for the optical signals. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The LIDAR system of claim 4, wherein the one or more third layers comprise one or more spacer layers configured to isolate the one or more waveguide layers. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The LIDAR system of claim 4, wherein the one or more third layers comprise one or more insulating layers configured to insulate the two or more semiconductor stacks from outside electrical contact. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the two or more semiconductor stacks respectively define an optical mode. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the two or more semiconductor stacks are directly formed on the substrate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the two or more different semiconductor devices comprise at least one of: a modulator configured to modify a phase or a frequency of the beam; or an amplifier configured to modify an amplitude of the beam. ### Claim 11 An autonomous vehicle (AV) control system, comprising: one or more processors; and a photonics integrated circuit (PIC) comprising a semiconductor die, the semiconductor die comprising a substrate having two or more semiconductor stacks respectively associated with two or more different semiconductor devices directly formed on the substrate, the two or more different semiconductor devices respectively configured to receive a beam from a light source and modify the beam, wherein a first semiconductor device of the two or more different semiconductor devices comprises a first plurality of layers including the substrate, wherein a second semiconductor device of the two or more different semiconductor devices comprises a second plurality of layers including the substrate, wherein a second arrangement of the second plurality of layers differs from a first arrangement of the first plurality of layers, and wherein the first arrangement of the first plurality of layers and the second arrangement of the second plurality of layers are formed by parallel regrowth on the substrate. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The AV control system of claim 11, wherein one or more of the first plurality of layers comprise an n-doped group III-V semiconductor layer, a multiple quantum wells (MQW) layer, and a p-doped group III-V semiconductor layer; and wherein one or more of the second plurality of layers comprise an n-doped semiconductor layer. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The AV control system of claim 11, further comprising one or more third layers comprise one or more waveguide layers, the one or more waveguide layers configured to propagate optical signals. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The AV control system of claim 13, wherein the one or more third layers comprise one or more spacer layers disposed between the one or more waveguide layers, the one or more spacer layers configured to isolate the one or more waveguide layers. ### Claim 15 An autonomous vehicle, comprising: an autonomous vehicle control system, the autonomous vehicle control system comprising one or more processors; and a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system, the LIDAR system comprising: a light source configured to output a beam; a photonics integrated circuit (PIC) comprising a semiconductor die, the semiconductor die comprising a substrate having two or more semiconductor stacks respectively associated with two or more different semiconductor devices directly formed on the substrate, the two or more different semiconductor devices respectively configured to receive the beam from the light source and modify the beam, wherein a first semiconductor device of the two or more different semiconductor devices comprises a first plurality of layers including the substrate, wherein a second semiconductor device of the two or more different semiconductor devices comprises a second plurality of layers including the substrate, wherein a second arrangement of the second plurality of layers differs from a first arrangement of the first plurality of layers, and wherein the first arrangement of the first plurality of layers and the second arrangement of the second plurality of layers are formed by parallel regrowth on the substrate; a transmitter configured to receive the beam from the semiconductor die; and one or more optics configured to receive the beam from the transmitter and emit the beam towards an object.