Gao, ShuangHui, Rongqing2015-11-062015-11-062012-05-30Gao, S., and R. Hui. "Frequency-modulated Continuous-wave Lidar Using I/Q Modulator for Simplified Heterodyne Detection." Optics Letters Opt. Lett. 37.11 (2012): 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OL.37.002022https://hdl.handle.net/1808/18844This is the published version. © Copyright 2012 Optical Society of AmericaA frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) lidar is demonstrated with heterodyne detection. The lidar transmitter utilizes an electro-optic 𝐼/𝑄 modulator for the first time to generate carrier-suppressed and frequency-shifted FM modulation. This eliminates the need for an acousto-optic frequency shifter commonly used in heterodyne lidar transmitters. It also allows the use of a much wider modulation bandwidth to improve the range resolution. The capability of complex optical field modulation of the 𝐼/𝑄 modulator provides an additional degree of freedom compared with an intensity modulator, which will benefit future lidar applications.Article10.1364/OL.37.002022openAccess