A MEMS mirror driver ASIC for beam-steering in scanning MEMS-based LiDAR

In this paper, a MEMS mirror driver ASIC that operates a 1D MEMS mirror with accurate amplitude is presented. It provides a set of position signals, precisely aligned to the MEMS mirror that enables a beam forming and laser shooting scheduling for LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) applications. The proposed architecture exploits a capacitive sense method and integrated control loops to sense, actuate and control the movements of the MEMS mirror. The implemented mixed-signal ASIC is fabricated in 130 nm CMOS technology, and can attain an RMS pointing error of less than 4m degrees for any tested MEMS mirror amplitude.