An Optical Phased Array

Abstract

The invention discloses an optical phased array. The optical phased array is composed of N phased array units, each phased array unit comprises a phase modulator for adjusting the additional phase ofthe phased array unit, N phase modulators are arranged in a circular shape on a plane, a waveguide transmitting unit at one end of each phase modulator faces the outer side of a circular center, and Nis a natural number; the working range of the phased array units is shown in the description, n is an integer, the phase modulator of the nth phased array unit adjusts the additional phase as shown in the description according to the change of the exit angle omega, d is the spacing of the adjacent waveguide transmitting units, and lambada is the wavelength of a light source. By adopting the optical phased array, wide-range 360-degree equal amplitude scanning is achieved. The optical phased array achieves multi-point scanning.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to the technical field of optical phased arrays, in particular to an optical phased array. Background technique [0002] Optical phased array technology (OPA—Optical Phased Array), which has become a research hotspot in recent years and has developed rapidly, is a new electronically controlled beam scanning technology, and its working principle is similar to that of microwave phased array. Its core components are composed of several phase modulation units. By controlling the applied voltage of the phase modulator, the additional refractive index inside the modulator can be controlled, so that the additional phase of the light field at the output end of each phase modulator can be controlled, so that the deflection of the propagation direction of the radiation beam can be realized. Optical phased array technology is a high-resolution, high-precision, and fast beam control technology with broad application prospects, so it has beco...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0006] 1. The scanning angle is too small. Most of the reported optical phased array scanning angles are only about ±10°

[0007] 2. The requirements on the width and period of the waveguide are too strict, which leads to difficulties in the manufacturing process: if you want to achieve the scanning requirements in the direction of ±90° To minimize grating lobes, the duty cycle must be close to 1

[0008] 3. In terms of grating lobe strength, traditional optical phased array grating lobes are larger

[0009] 4. If figure 2 As shown, in the traditional phased array scanning process, as the scanning angle increases, the intensity of the main lobe gradually decreases, and the intensity of the grating lobe gradually increases, and even the phenomenon that the intensity of the grating lobe is greater than the intensity of the main lobe may appear, which is obviously what we do not want to see Arrived

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