1 August 2016 Two-dimensional beam steering using a thermo-optic silicon photonic optical phased array
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Abstract
Many components for free-space optical (FSO) communication systems have shrunken in size over the last decade. However, the steering systems have remained large and power hungry. Nonmechanical beam steering offers a path to reducing the size of these systems. Optical phased arrays can allow integrated beam steering elements. One of the most important aspects of an optical phased array technology is its scalability to a large number of elements. Silicon photonics can potentially offer this scalability using CMOS foundry techniques. A phased array that can steer in two dimensions using the thermo-optic effect is demonstrated. No wavelength tuning of the input laser is needed and the design allows a simple control system with only two inputs. A benchtop FSO link with the phased array in both transmit and receive mode is demonstrated.
© 2016 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) 0091-3286/2016/$25.00 © 2016 SPIE
William S. Rabinovich, Peter G. Goetz, Marcel W. Pruessner, Rita Mahon, Mike S. Ferraro, Doe Park, Erin F. Fleet, and Michael J. DePrenger "Two-dimensional beam steering using a thermo-optic silicon photonic optical phased array," Optical Engineering 55(11), 111603 (1 August 2016). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.55.11.111603
Published: 1 August 2016
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CITATIONS
Cited by 25 scholarly publications and 9 patents.
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KEYWORDS
Waveguides

Phased array optics

Free space optics

Silicon photonics

Thermal optics

Beam steering

Phased arrays

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