Devices with ultra-small vertical cavity surface emitting laser emitters incorporating beam steering

1. A Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system, comprising:

a plurality of laser emitters arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns on a substrate that is non-native to the plurality of laser emitters,

wherein a first subset of the plurality of laser emitters is configured to illuminate a first portion of a field of view (FOV) of the LIDAR system, wherein the first subset comprises a first plurality of laser emitters,

wherein a second subset of the plurality of laser emitters is configured to illuminate a second portion of the FOV of the LIDAR system, and wherein the second subset comprises a second plurality of laser emitters; and

control circuitry configured to operate the first subset of the plurality of laser emitters to illuminate the first portion of the FOV separately from operating the second subset of the plurality of laser emitters to illuminate the second portion of the FOV,

wherein laser emitters within respective columns of the plurality of columns are serially connected anode-to-cathode, and

wherein the LIDAR system further comprises a plurality of driver transistors, each of the plurality of driver transistors electrically connected with a respective column of the plurality of columns to control operation of the laser emitters of the respective column.

2. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of laser emitters comprises at least two first laser emitters of a first row of the plurality of rows, and

wherein the second plurality of laser emitters comprises at least two second laser emitters of a second row of the plurality of rows, wherein the second row is different from the first row.

3. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of laser emitters comprises at least two first laser emitters of a first column of the plurality of columns, and

wherein the second plurality of laser emitters comprises at least two second laser emitters of a second column of the plurality of columns, wherein the second column is different from the first column.

4. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of laser emitters comprises at least two laser emitters of a first column and at least two laser emitters of a second column of the plurality of columns, wherein the second column is different from the first column, and

wherein the second plurality of laser emitters comprises at least two laser emitters of a third column and at least two laser emitters of a fourth column of the plurality of columns, wherein the fourth column is different from the third column.

5. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of laser emitters comprises a first laser emitter and a second laser emitter, the first laser emitter located at a first column and a first row of the plurality of columns and rows, and the second laser emitter located at a second column and a second row of the plurality of columns and rows, wherein the second column is different from the first column and the second row is different from the first row, and

wherein the second plurality of laser emitters comprises a third laser emitter and a fourth laser emitter, the third laser emitter located at a third column and a third row of the plurality of columns and rows, and the fourth laser emitter located at a fourth column and a fourth row of the plurality of columns and rows, wherein the fourth column is different from the third column and the fourth row is different from the third row.

6. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein at least one laser emitter of the plurality of laser emitters comprises a broken tether portion at a periphery thereof.

7. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein control circuitry is further configured to control an individual power output of a laser emission of respective ones of the plurality of laser emitters.

8. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the FOV of the LIDAR system is between 80 degrees and 180 degrees, and

wherein the plurality of laser emitters are configured to achieve a scanning frame rate of between 9 and 35 frames per second.

9. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein a first laser emitter of the first plurality of laser emitters and a second laser emitter of the second plurality of laser emitters share a column of the plurality of columns or a row of the plurality of rows.

10. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of laser emitters are free of a native substrate thereof.

11. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is flexible.

12. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises silicon, an oxide, a nitride, and/or a polymer material.

13. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of driver transistors are arranged on the substrate.

14. A Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system, comprising:

a plurality of laser emitters arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns on a substrate that is non-native to the plurality of laser emitters, wherein the plurality of laser emitters are free of a native substrate thereof; and

control circuitry on the substrate, wherein the control circuitry is adjacent one or more of the plurality of laser emitters and configured to control an operation of the plurality of laser emitters,

wherein a first subset of the plurality of laser emitters is configured to illuminate a first portion of a field of view (FOV) of the LIDAR system,

wherein a second subset of the plurality of laser emitters is configured to illuminate a second portion of the FOV of the LIDAR system,

wherein the control circuitry is further configured to operate the first subset of the plurality of laser emitters to illuminate the first portion of the FOV and not the second portion during a first time period and to operate the second subset of the plurality of laser emitters to illuminate the second portion of the FOV and not the first portion during a second time period, and

wherein the control circuitry is further configured to illuminate the first portion of the FOV by providing a first non-zero power level to the first subset of the plurality of laser emitters and to illuminate the second portion of the FOV by providing a second non-zero power level, different from the first non-zero power level, to the second subset of the plurality of laser emitters.

15. The LIDAR system of claim 14 , wherein a laser emission of each laser emitter of the plurality of laser emitters is individually controllable by the control circuitry.

16. A method of operating a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system comprising:

providing a semiconductor structure comprising a substrate upon which a plurality of laser emitters have been arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns,

wherein a first subset of the plurality of laser emitters is configured to illuminate a first portion of a field of view (FOV) of the LIDAR system, wherein the first subset comprises a first plurality of laser emitters,

wherein a second subset of the plurality of laser emitters is configured to illuminate a second portion of the FOV of the LIDAR system, wherein the second subset comprises a second plurality of laser emitters,

wherein the substrate is non-native to the plurality of laser emitters, and

wherein laser emitters within respective columns of the plurality of columns are serially connected anode-to-cathode;

providing a plurality of driver transistors, each of the plurality of driver transistors electrically connected with a respective column of the plurality of columns to control operation of the laser emitters of the respective column; and

selectively controlling current through the first subset of the plurality of laser emitters to illuminate the first portion of the FOV separately from controlling current through the second subset of the plurality of laser emitters to illuminate the second portion of the FOV.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first plurality of laser emitters comprises at least two first laser emitters of a first column of the plurality of columns, and

wherein the second plurality of laser emitters comprises at least two second laser emitters of a second column of the plurality of columns, wherein the second column is different from the first column.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first plurality of laser emitters comprises at least two laser emitters of a first column and at least two laser emitters of a second column of the plurality of columns, wherein the second column is different from the first column, and

wherein the second plurality of laser emitters comprises at least two laser emitters of a third column and at least two laser emitters of a fourth column of the plurality of columns, wherein the fourth column is different from the third column.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first plurality of laser emitters comprises a first laser emitter and a second laser emitter, the first laser emitter located at a first column and a first row of the plurality of columns and rows, and the second laser emitter located at a second column and a second row of the plurality of columns and rows, wherein the second column is different from the first column and the second row is different from the first row, and

wherein the second plurality of laser emitters comprises a third laser emitter and a fourth laser emitter, the third laser emitter located at a third column and a third row of the plurality of columns and rows, and the fourth laser emitter located at a fourth column and a fourth row of the plurality of columns and rows, wherein the fourth column is different from the third column and the fourth row is different from the third row.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein at least one laser emitter of the plurality of laser emitters comprises a broken tether portion at a periphery thereof.

21. The method of claim 16 , wherein the FOV of the LIDAR system is between 80 degrees and 180 degrees.

22. The method of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of laser emitters are free of a native substrate thereof.

23. The method of claim 16 , wherein a first laser emitter of the first plurality of laser emitters and a second laser emitter of the second plurality of laser emitters share a column of the plurality of columns or a row of the plurality of rows.