Experimental investigation into laser ranging with sub-ns laser pulses

We present a high precision time-of-flight (TOF) laser radar system based on energetic (~ 0.6 nJ) sub-ns laser pulses produced with a semiconductor laser diode. The proposed device has a single-shot precision of < 5 mm at an SNR of 10 and a maximum walk error < 500 ps in the dynamic range 1:250. Sub-mm precision can be achieved in ranging by means of averaging. The proposed laser radar can be used for monitoring tiny vibrations in distant targets, for example.