What is the best laser for LIDAR?

There are actually numerous laser types that work well for various LIDAR and 3D Scanning applications. The answer comes down to what you want to measure or map. If your target is stationary, and distance is the only necessary measurement, short-pulsed lasers, with pulse durations of a few nanoseconds (even <1ns) and high pulse energy are what you’re looking for. This is also accurate for 3D scanning applications (given a stationary, albeit a much closer target), but select applications can also benefit from frequency-modulated, single-frequency (narrow-linewidth) fiber lasers. If your target is moving, and speed is the critical measurement, you need a single-frequency laser to ensure accurate measurement of the Doppler shift. If you want to learn more about the various forms of LIDAR and the critical laser source requirements, check out our LIDAR page for a list of detailed articles, as well as all the LIDAR laser source products we offer. Get more information from our Lasers 101, Blogs, Whitepapers, FAQs, and Press Release pages in our Knowledge Center!