Integrated Optical Phased Arrays for Beam Forming and Steering

Abstract

Integrated optical phased arrays can be used for beam shaping and steering with a small footprint, lightweight, high mechanical stability, low price, and high-yield, benefiting from the mature CMOS-compatible fabrication. This paper reviews the development of integrated optical phased arrays in recent years. The principles, building blocks, and configurations of integrated optical phased arrays for beam forming and steering are presented. Various material platforms can be used to build integrated optical phased arrays, e.g., silicon photonics platforms, III/V platforms, and III–V/silicon hybrid platforms. Integrated optical phased arrays can be implemented in the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared spectral ranges. The main performance parameters, such as field of view, beamwidth, sidelobe suppression, modulation speed, power consumption, scalability, and so on, are discussed in detail. Some of the typical applications of integrated optical phased arrays, such as free-space communication, light detection and ranging, imaging, and biological sensing, are shown, with future perspectives provided at the end.

On‐Chip Metamaterial Antenna Array with Distributed Bragg Deflector for Generation of Collimated Steerable Beams

“…For antennas arrayed in transversal direction ( y ), the far‐field radiation amplitude F ( θ , ϕ ) is defined as the product of the far field of a single antenna R ( θ , ϕ ) and the array factor A ( θ , ϕ ), i.e., F ( θ , ϕ ) = R ( θ , ϕ ) × A ( θ , ϕ ). [ 29 ] The array factor depends on the amplitude and phase of each antenna and can be calculated as [ 43 ] $$\begin{equation} A\;\left( {\theta ,\;\phi } \right) = \mathop \sum \limits_n {C_n}{{\rm{e}}^{jk{d_n}{\rm{sin}}\theta {\rm{sin}}\phi }} \end{equation}$$where C n is the complex amplitude of the n th antenna, k is the wavenumber in the medium where the far field is being calculated, and d n is the distance from the origin of each antenna in transversal direction ( y ). A specific input excitation of the antenna array will determine the value of the complex amplitudes C n and thus the array factor A ( θ , ϕ ).…”

Circular Optical Phased Arrays with Radial Nano-Antennas

“…Integrated optical phased arrays (OPAs) are enabling technologies for efficient generation and fast scanning of optical beams, yet eliminating the need for mechanical movements. On-chip OPAs are particularly appealing due to their compact size, lowered power consumption, and improved beam steering capabilities [ 1 , 2 ]. Non-mechanical OPAs are the key building blocks in many nanophotonic applications.…”

Broadband Operation of an InP Optical Phased Array

“…O PTICAL phased arrays (OPAs) have attracted significant interest due to the beam shaping and steering capabilities for use in remote sensing and free-space communications. Because of their ability to form steerable beams in free space without moving parts, solid state OPAs offer several advantages compared to mechanical-based steering [1] and MEMS-based scanners [2] such as scalability, scanning speed, miniaturization, potential for cost reduction and reliability [3]- [5]. Within the scope of LiDAR sensing applications, the combination of OPA beam steering and the Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) technique has gained popularity to achieve a fully solid-state LiDAR system able to detect simultaneously distance and speed [6].…”