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Hamamatsu Corp. - Earth Innovations LB 2/24
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An Avalanche of APD Innovations

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As the demands on lidar continue to increase, the manufacturers of avalanche photodiodes (APDs) continue to respond.

HANK HOGAN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

When autonomous vehicles hit the streets, they navigate with the help of avalanche photo­diodes, or APDs. These semiconductor photodetectors capture returning laser pulses as part of lidar systems, and this APD-derived data determines the distance to other vehicles, to objects, and to people — information critical for safe driving. Lidar is a fast-growing APD application, and, according to Anand Pandy, applications engineering leader at Excel­itas Technologies Corp. of Waltham,

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Published: June 2019
Glossary
lidar
Lidar, short for light detection and ranging, is a remote sensing technology that uses laser light to measure distances and generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape and characteristics of objects and surfaces. Lidar systems typically consist of a laser scanner, a GPS receiver, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU), all integrated into a single system. Here is how lidar works: Laser emission: A laser emits laser pulses, often in the form of rapid and repetitive laser...
avalanche photodiodesAPDslidarsilicon APDssilicon photomultiplierSIPMSsingle-photon avalanche diodesSPADs2D arraysphotodetectorsapplication-specific integrated circuitsASICsFeatures

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