An integrated photon delay array

Abstract

The present application discloses an integrated photon delay array, comprising: a first arm and a second arm; wherein the first ends of the first arm and the second arm are respectively connected to the two output ends of the power configuration module, and the second ends of the first arm and the second arm are respectively connected to the two input ends of the output configuration module; a delay configuration module and a fixed delay module are also provided on the first arm; the power configuration module is used to distribute power to an input optical signal according to the configured power distribution mode, and the two optical signals after distribution are output along the first arm and the second arm respectively; the delay configuration module is used to configure a plurality of delay modes; the fixed delay module is used to construct a fixed delay difference between the first arm and the second arm; the output configuration module is used to configure the optical signals at the two output ends of the integrated photon delay array according to the output configuration requirements to achieve positive delay or negative delay. The integrated photon delay array has a compact structure, is conducive to large-scale application, and is reconfigurable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of optical technology, and in particular to an integrated photon delay array. Background Art

[0002] As human society gradually enters the 5G era, especially in the face of a large number of mobile terminals, the Internet of Things and real-time remote operations, the available frequency bands for existing wireless communications are already very crowded. Therefore, millimeter wave communications with larger bandwidth combined with more energy-efficient beam control and steering technology have been proposed and applied. As a key technology for 5G communications, beamforming and beam-steering millimeter wave communications will greatly increase wireless communication capacity to meet the increasing capacity demand. The most core technology among them is the millimeter wave phased array antenna system for beamforming and beam steering.

[0003] In this system, accurate and broadband time delay or phase shift is usually required to achieve phase control. The phase shift scheme will cause beam deviation of broadband millimeter-wave signals, so the delay scheme has a higher technical advantage. Traditionally, millimeter-wave broadband time delay is completed in the electrical domain with the help of electronic integration technology. As the frequency rises to the millimeter wave band, traditional microelectronic integration technology faces technical challenges such as high loss and small bandwidth. Therefore, optical control-millimeter wave time delay with the help of photonic technology, especially photonic integration technology, is proposed to bring new ideas to the solution of the above problems.

[0004] Specifically, in the optically controlled millimeter wave delay system, the millimeter wave signal is first modulated onto an optical carrier using an electro-optical modulator, and then the photonic delay line technology generates a delay in the optical domain, and finally the signal is converted back into a millimeter wave through a photodetector. The signal at this point meets the phase requirements of the antenna. Optical delay line technology has inherent advantages such as greater bandwidth and lower loss. Optical delay lines and delay arrays are widely used in encoding and caching of optical communications, signal generation, transmission, processing and detection in microwave photonics, such as multi-frequency optical oscillators, optical A / D conversion, broadband radar signal processing, and so on.

[0005] At present, the most popular research in optical delay line technology is on optically controlled phased array antennas, especially phased array antennas in the millimeter wave band. It includes delay lines based on discrete optical components and delay lines based on integrated photonic technology. The latter chip-level solution is becoming increasingly important due to its smaller size, more compact system integration and more optimized system performance. The current integrated photonic delay lines can be divided into discrete adjustable and continuously adjustable delay lines. However, only when the delay line forms a delay array can it be truly used for the control of optically controlled-millimeter wave phased array antennas.

[0006] Currently, traditional optical delay arrays are usually single-ended input and single-ended output, so their functions are relatively simple and it is difficult to meet the needs of various applications. Summary of the invention

[0007] Based on the above problems, the present application provides an integrated photon delay array to enrich the functions of the integrated photon delay array and meet diverse application requirements.

[0008] The embodiments of the present application disclose the following technical solutions:

[0009] In a first aspect, the present application provides an integrated photon delay array, comprising: a first arm and a second arm; wherein the first end of the first arm and the first end of the second arm are respectively connected to two output ends of a power configuration module, and the second end of the first arm and the second end of the second arm are respectively connected to two input ends of an output configuration module; a delay configuration module and a fixed delay module are also provided on the first arm; the input end of the power configuration module serves as the input end of the entire integrated photon delay array, and the two output ends of the output configuration module serve as the two output ends of the entire integrated photon delay array;

[0010] The power configuration module is used to distribute power to one input optical signal according to the configured power distribution mode, and the two distributed optical signals are output along the first arm and the second arm respectively;

[0011] The delay configuration module is used to configure multiple delay modes;

[0012] The fixed delay module is used to construct a fixed delay difference between the first arm and the second arm;

[0013] The output configuration module is used to configure the optical signals at the two output ends of the integrated photonic delay array according to the output configuration requirements to achieve positive delay or negative delay.

[0014] Optionally, the fixed delay module includes: a delay line.

[0015] Optionally, the delay configuration module includes: a first ring resonant cavity structure, a second ring resonant cavity structure and a third ring resonant cavity structure;

[0016] The first ring resonant cavity structure is cascaded with the second ring resonant cavity structure; and the second ring resonant cavity structure is coupled with the third ring resonant cavity structure.

[0017] Optionally, the first ring resonator structure, the second ring resonator structure and the third ring resonator structure all operate in a waveguide mode;

[0018] The delay of the second arm is T0; the delay provided by the fixed delay module is T1; the delays provided by the first ring resonant cavity structure and the second ring resonant cavity structure are both T2; the delay provided by the third ring resonant cavity structure is T3;

[0019] The delay configuration module is specifically used to configure one of the five delay modes;

[0020] The forward delay combinations of the two output ends of the integrated photonic delay array in the five delay modes are:

[0021] T0: T0+T1, T0: T0+T1+T2, T0: T0+T1+2T2, T0: T0+T1+T2+T3, T0: T0+T1+2T2+T3;

[0022] The negative delay combinations of the two output ends of the integrated photonic delay array in the five delay modes are:

[0023] T0+T1: T0, T0+T1+T2: T0, T0+T1+2T2: T0, T0+T1+T2+T3: T0, T0+T1+2T2+T3: T0.

[0024] Optionally, the time delay of the third ring resonant cavity structure is a positive integer multiple of the time delay of the first ring resonant cavity structure.

[0025] Optionally, the first ring resonant cavity structure, the second ring resonant cavity structure and the third ring resonant cavity structure all operate in a resonant cavity mode;

[0026] The delay of the second arm is T0; the delay provided by the fixed delay module is T1; the cavity lengths of the first ring resonant cavity structure and the second ring resonant cavity structure are the same; the phases of the first ring resonant cavity structure, the second ring resonant cavity structure and the third ring resonant cavity structure are independently adjustable.

[0027] Optionally, the power allocation mode is specifically a first mode;

[0028] The power configuration module is specifically used to distribute power of an input optical signal according to the first mode, so that the output power of the second end of the first arm and the second end of the second arm are balanced.

[0029] Optionally, the power allocation mode is specifically a second mode;

[0030] The power configuration module is specifically used to distribute the power of an input optical signal according to the second mode, so that the power ratio of the first end of the first arm and the first end of the second arm is a1:a2, thereby making the group delay characteristics of the two output ends different; the difference between a1 and a2 is a preset multiple, and the preset multiple is greater than 1.

[0031] Optionally, when the output configuration module configures the optical signals of the two output ends according to the output configuration requirements so that the positive delay is swapped to the negative delay, or the negative delay is swapped to the positive delay, the group delay characteristics of the two output ends are swapped.

[0032] A second aspect of the present application provides an integrated photonic delay array, comprising: a parent delay subarray and a child delay subarray, wherein the parent delay subarray and the child delay subarray each comprise an input terminal and two output terminals;

[0033] The sub-delay sub-array is cascaded with the parent time delay sub-array, and the input end of the sub-delay sub-array is connected to an output end of the parent time delay sub-array;

[0034] The parent delay subarray is the integrated photon delay array provided in the first aspect;

[0035] The sub-delay sub-array is the integrated photon delay array provided in the first aspect.

[0036] Compared with the prior art, this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0037] The integrated photon delay array provided by the present application includes: a first arm and a second arm; wherein the first end of the first arm and the first end of the second arm are respectively connected to the two output ends of the power configuration module, and the second end of the first arm and the second end of the second arm are respectively connected to the two input ends of the output configuration module; a delay configuration module and a fixed delay module are also provided on the first arm; the input end of the power configuration module serves as the input end of the entire integrated photon delay array, and the two output ends of the output configuration module serve as the two output ends of the entire integrated photon delay array; the power configuration module is used to distribute power to an input optical signal according to the configured power distribution mode, and the two distributed optical signals are output along the first arm and the second arm respectively; the delay configuration module is used to configure multiple delay modes; the fixed delay module is used to construct a fixed delay difference between the first arm and the second arm; the output configuration module is used to configure the optical signals at the two output ends of the integrated photon delay array according to the output configuration requirements to achieve positive delay or negative delay.

[0038] The integrated photon delay array provided by the present application includes two output ports, which is conducive to large-scale array applications and has a more compact structure compared to the optical delay array with a single output port in the prior art. Since the delay configuration mode can configure multiple delay modes, a variety of different applications can be supported by one structure. In addition, since the output configuration module realizes the switching of positive delay and negative delay by swapping the configuration, the complexity of adjusting and controlling different delays is reduced. Therefore, the integrated photon delay array provided by the present application has the characteristics of being reconfigurable, and one basic unit can meet the requirements of multiple applications. It has important application value for multifunctional and complex application environments, and can also be used in fields such as phased array radar and optical signal processing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an integrated photon delay array provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of another integrated photon delay array provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of another integrated photon delay array provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the logical structure of a single ring resonator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the group delay response of the ring resonators ORR-1 to ORR-3 provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the response of a cascaded ring resonator with expanded bandwidth provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a simplified integrated photon delay array provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a two-port network response with equal amplitude delay provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Fig. 9A schematic diagram of a network response with unequal amplitude two-port delay provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of a multi-port bidirectional integrated photonic delay array for realizing forward delay provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of a multi-port bidirectional integrated photonic delay array for achieving negative delay provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] As described above, conventional optical delay arrays are usually single-ended input and single-ended output, which not only have limited reconfigurability, but also have single functions and are difficult to meet various application requirements. Based on this, the present application provides an integrated photonic delay array to solve this problem.

[0052] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the scheme of the present invention, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0053] Embodiment 1

[0054] See also Figure 1 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of an integrated photon delay array provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the integrated photonic delay array 100 includes four main modules: a power configuration module 101 , a delay configuration module 102 , a fixed delay module 103 and an output configuration module 104 .

[0055] The power configuration module 101 includes an input end and two output ends, the input end serves as the input end of the integrated photon delay array 100, and the two output ends are connected to two arms of the integrated photon delay array, that is, the two signals output from the power configuration module 101 are transmitted along the two arms respectively.

[0056] exist Figure 1 In the structure of the integrated photon delay array 100 shown in FIG. 1 , the upper arm is referred to as the first arm, and the lower arm is referred to as the second arm. Figure 1As shown in FIG. 1 , the first end of the first arm and the first end of the second arm are respectively connected to the two output ends of the power configuration module 101; the second end of the first arm and the second end of the second arm are respectively connected to the two input ends of the output configuration module 104. The output configuration module 104 includes two input ends and two output ends, and its two output ends serve as the two output ends of the entire integrated photonic delay array 100.

[0057] Between the first end and the second end of the first arm, a delay configuration module 102 and a fixed delay module 103 are provided. The functions of the power configuration module 101, the delay configuration module 102, the fixed delay module 103 and the output configuration module 104 in the structure are described below.

[0058] The power configuration module 101 is used to perform power distribution on one input optical signal according to the configured power distribution mode, and the two optical signals after distribution are output along the first arm and the second arm respectively. In practical applications, multiple power distribution modes can be preset, and the power configuration module 101 selects one of the preset multiple power configuration modes for configuration according to actual needs.

[0059] The delay configuration module 102 is used to configure multiple delay modes. For example, five delay modes are preset, and the delay configuration module 102 can select one of them according to actual needs. It can be understood that when the demand for delay changes, the delay configuration module 102 can be used to change the delay mode or delay value. The delay configuration module 102 can be used to achieve discrete or continuous adjustment of the delay.

[0060] The fixed delay module 103 is used to construct a fixed delay difference between the first arm and the second arm. In a possible implementation, the fixed delay module 103 may include a delay line, and the fixed delay difference between the two arms of the integrated photonic delay array 100 is constructed by using the delay line.

[0061] The output configuration module 104 is used to configure the optical signals of the two output terminals of the integrated photonic delay array 100 according to the output configuration requirements to achieve positive delay or negative delay. Here, the positive delay means that the output terminal P2 uses a positive delay relative to the output terminal P1, that is, the output terminal P2 is slower than the output terminal P1. Similarly, the negative delay means that the output terminal P2 uses a negative delay relative to the output terminal P1, that is, the output terminal P2 is faster than the output terminal P1. The output configuration module 104 can utilize the critical state of the power splitter to exchange the signals of the output terminal P1 and the output terminal P2, thereby realizing the conversion from positive delay to negative delay or from negative delay to positive delay.

[0062] It can be seen from the above embodiments that the integrated photonic delay array provided by the present application includes two output ports, which is conducive to large-scale array applications and has a more compact structure compared to the optical delay array with a single output port in the prior art. Since the delay configuration mode can configure a variety of delay modes, a variety of different applications can be supported by one structure. In addition, since the output configuration module realizes the switching of positive delay and negative delay by swapping the configuration, the complexity of adjusting and controlling different delays is reduced. Therefore, the integrated photonic delay array provided by the present application has the characteristics of being reconfigurable, and one basic unit can meet the requirements of multiple applications. It has important application value for multifunctional and complex application environments, and can also be used in fields such as phased array radar and optical signal processing.

[0063] Embodiment 2

[0064] Based on the first embodiment, this embodiment further introduces an integrated photon delay array with discrete delay. Figure 2 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of another integrated photonic delay array provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0065] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, a waveguide can be directly used as a delay line, and different waveguide lengths have different delays. The delay line constitutes a fixed delay module 203 of the integrated photonic delay array 200. Therefore, the integrated photonic delay array 200 has a high signal processing bandwidth.

[0066] First, the input signal is divided into two signals through the adjustable power splitter of the power configuration module 201. The power ratio can be arbitrarily allocated. The boundary allocation is that the light is output from only one port and not from the other port. As a dual-port delay array: the application requires power balance of two ports, and it is best to be able to divide the power equally, so that a 1:1 power ratio is achieved at the two input ends of the output configuration module 204.

[0067] The structural complexity of the first arm is higher than that of the second arm. The loss of the first arm itself is greater than that of the second arm. At the same time, the losses corresponding to different delays are also different. Therefore, the power configuration module 201 can compensate for various power imbalance problems by adjusting the power ratio m:n of its two output ends, making the delay array 200 more conducive to practical applications. The adjustment process only needs to adjust the phase shifter in the power configuration module 201 to complete.

[0068] The delay configuration module 202 of this embodiment includes: a first ring resonant cavity structure u1, a second ring resonant cavity structure u2 and a third ring resonant cavity structure u3, which work in the waveguide mode in this embodiment. Figure 2As shown in , the first ring resonant cavity structure u1 is cascaded with the second ring resonant cavity structure u2; the second ring resonant cavity structure u2 is structurally coupled with the third ring resonant cavity u3.

[0069] The fixed delay difference between the two arms provided by the fixed delay module 203 is T1; the delays of the first ring resonator u1 and the second ring resonator u2 are both T2; the delay provided by the third ring resonator structure is T3; and the delay of the second arm is T0. In practical applications, the power beam splitter of the above-mentioned ring resonator u1~u3 can be set to select whether to pass through the ring resonator, that is, whether to increase the corresponding delay.

[0070] The delay configuration module 202 is specifically used to configure one of the five delay modes;

[0071] The forward delay combinations of the two output terminals P1 and P2 of the integrated photonic delay array 200 in the five delay modes are:

[0072] T0: T0+T1, T0: T0+T1+T2, T0: T0+T1+2T2, T0: T0+T1+T2+T3, T0: T0+T1+2T2+T3.

[0073] Wherein, T0+T1 indicates that the optical signal only passes through the fixed delay module 203 in the upper arm;

[0074] T0+T1+T2 indicates that the optical signal passes through the fixed delay module 203 and the first ring resonator u1 in the upper arm;

[0075] T0+T1+2T2 indicates that the optical signal passes through the fixed delay module 203, the first ring resonant cavity u1 and the second ring resonant cavity u2 in the upper arm;

[0076] T0+T1+T2+T3 indicates that the optical signal passes through the fixed delay module 203, the first ring resonant cavity u1 and the third ring resonant cavity u3 in the upper arm;

[0077] T0+T1+2T2+T3 indicates that the optical signal passes through the fixed delay module 203 and the ring resonant cavities u1-u3 in the upper arm.

[0078] When the output configuration module 204 exchanges the signals of the two output terminals P1 and P2, a negative delay combination can be obtained. The negative delay combinations of the two output terminals P1 and P2 of the integrated photonic delay array 200 in the above five delay modes are:

[0079] T0+T1: T0, T0+T1+T2: T0, T0+T1+2T2: T0, T0+T1+T2+T3: T0, T0+T1+2T2+T3: T0.

[0080] Therefore, in Figure 2 The number of delay combinations (delay modes) of the integrated photon delay array 200 shown is 10. More delay modes can be obtained by adding more ring resonators, but at the same time the structure of the integrated photon delay array will be more complex and the loss will be higher. The delay amounts T0, T1, T2, and T3 in this example can be adjusted accordingly according to actual application requirements. In this embodiment, the delay of the third ring resonator u3 is required to be a positive integer multiple of the first ring resonator u1. For example, T2=T1, T3=2T1, etc. can be set. The delay corresponds to the cavity length.

[0081] Embodiment 3

[0082] Based on the first embodiment, this embodiment further introduces an integrated photon delay array with continuously adjustable delay. Figure 3 , this figure is a structural schematic diagram of another integrated photonic delay array provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0083] like Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, a waveguide is used as a delay line in the fixed delay module 303 to provide a fixed delay difference between two arms of the integrated photonic delay array 300 .

[0084] The delay configuration module 302 of this embodiment includes: a first ring resonant cavity structure ORR-1, a second ring resonant cavity structure ORR-2 and a third ring resonant cavity structure ORR-3, which work in the resonant cavity mode in this embodiment. Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the first ring resonant cavity structure ORR-1 is cascaded with the second ring resonant cavity structure ORR-2; the second ring resonant cavity structure ORR-2 is coupled with the third ring resonant cavity ORR-3. In this embodiment, the ring resonant cavities ORR-1 to ORR-3 all work in the resonant cavity mode, each of which has a group delay characteristic, and the delay is continuously adjustable.

[0085] The delay of the second arm is T0; the delay provided by the fixed delay module is T1. The cavity lengths of the first ring resonant cavity structure ORR-1 and the second ring resonant cavity structure ORR-2 are the same, both of which are R1; the cavity length of the third ring resonant cavity structure ORR-3 is R3. As an example, R3=2R1. At this time, the discrete delay T3 formed by the third ring resonant cavity structure ORR-3 is equal to twice T1. The phases φ1, φ2 and φ3 of the first ring resonant cavity structure ORR-1, the second ring resonant cavity structure ORR-2 and the third ring resonant cavity structure ORR-3 are independently adjustable. The phases φ1, φ2 and φ3 are introduced by the phase shifter in the ring resonant cavity. When the phase of the ring resonant cavity structure changes, the frequency of the ring resonant cavity structure shifts accordingly. For example, by adjusting φ1 and φ2 respectively, the spectral responses of the two cascaded ring resonant cavity structures ORR-1 and ORR-2 can be brought close, so that the total spectral response of ORR-1 and ORR-2 is the sum of their respective spectral responses, so that the bandwidth is increased.

[0086] See also Figure 4 , which is the logical structure of a single ring resonator. The transfer function of a single ring resonator can be expressed as:

[0087]

[0088] In formula (1), k is the power coupling ratio of the waveguide to the ring cavity, T is the period of the ring cavity, and φ is the phase change introduced in the ring cavity. The group delay response of a single ring resonator can be expressed as:

[0089]

[0090] In formula (2), is the phase term of the ring cavity, arctan() is the inverse tangent function, Im and Re are the imaginary and real parts of the phase, respectively.

[0091] exist Figure 3 In the structure of the integrated photon delay array 300 shown in FIG. 1 , the group delay response of the ring resonators ORR-1 to ORR-3 is shown in FIG. Figure 5 shown.

[0092] The group delay response of the ring resonator has a large delay only at the resonant frequency. As the wavelength moves away from the resonant frequency, the delay decreases rapidly. Therefore, as an adjustable delay line, the bandwidth of the integrated photon delay array 300 based on the ring resonator working in the resonant cavity mode is small. The delay size can be adjusted by adjusting the parameters of the ring resonator ORR-1 to ORR-3. The resonant frequency will change with the change of φ; for cascaded ring resonators, the delay is directly superimposed.

[0093] Figure 3In the integrated photonic delay array 300 shown, the input signal first passes through the adjustable power splitter of the power configuration module 301 to split the optical power into two signals, and the power ratio can be arbitrarily allocated. As a dual-port delay array: the application requires power balance of the two ports, and it is best to be able to divide the power equally, such as the power ratio of the two input ends of the output configuration module 304 is 1:1. Taking into account the loss caused by the complex ring resonant cavity structure of the first arm path, the power configuration module 301 compensates for the power imbalance problem by adjusting the power ratio m:n at its own output end, making the delay array more conducive to practical applications. The adjustment process only needs to adjust the phase shifter in the power configuration module 301 to complete.

[0094] The two signals output from the two output ends of the power configuration module 301 are directly sent to the output configuration module 304 through the waveguide of the second arm, and the other signal is sent to the ring resonator along the first arm. Since the ring resonator has a frequency periodic narrow-band band-stop filter response, the adjustable group delay response in the band-stop interval is mainly used to achieve different delays, accompanied by signal amplitude fluctuations. Generally, the stronger the filtering strength, the greater the delay.

[0095] In actual millimeter-wave phase-shifting applications, the delay is often in the order of picoseconds, so power fluctuations are within an acceptable range (generally a few dB fluctuations). However, due to its narrowband response, a cascaded ORR design is used to increase the bandwidth. Usually, the two-stage ORR (ORR-1 and ORR-2) have the same cavity length, that is, the same frequency period, but by adjusting their respective phases φ1 and φ2, the group delay responses of ORR-1 and ORR-2 are slightly different in the spectrum. According to the composite response of the two-stage ORR, the final group delay has a larger bandwidth. For example Figure 6 As shown, this figure is a schematic diagram of the response of the cascaded ring resonator with expanded bandwidth.

[0096] The ORR-3 in this embodiment can cooperate with ORR-1 and ORR-2 to realize more complex applications. ORR-3 is configured to have different periodic responses, so as to achieve the effect of using different wavelengths to achieve different delays. ORR-1, ORR-2 and ORR-3 can even be configured separately so that their group delays are independently distinguished in the spectrum, realizing more flexible wavelength-selective delay lines, etc.

[0097] The implementation of the output configuration module 304 in this embodiment is consistent with the implementation of the output configuration module 204 in the second embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0098] Embodiment 4

[0099] Based on the first embodiment, this embodiment further introduces an integrated photon delay array based on a delay interferometer with continuously adjustable delay and large bandwidth. Figure 2 The structure of the integrated photon delay array 200 shown is consistent. The difference between the implementation of the integrated photon delay array of this embodiment and the second embodiment mainly lies in the power configuration module.

[0100] First, the structure of the integrated photon delay array provided in the fourth embodiment is simplified to facilitate understanding of the role of each component of the entire structure in the signal transmission process. Figure 7 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a simplified integrated photonic delay array.

[0101] like Figure 7 As shown, the input signal first passes through the adjustable power configuration module (with T C1 The optical power is divided into two signals, and the power ratio can be arbitrarily allocated. After that, the signal is equivalent to passing through a time delay interference unit T Δt In this embodiment, the power difference between the upper and lower arms is relatively large (usually 5-10 times). One signal directly enters the output configuration module (with T C2 , T φ and T C3 The other signal will pass through a longer waveguide and then be sent to another input end of the output configuration module after a delay of Δt.

[0102] The output configuration module contains three units T C2 , T φ , T C3 Different from the output configuration module in the previous embodiment, in this embodiment, the power of each input end of the output configuration module will enter the two output ends Out-1 and Out2 at a certain distribution ratio at the same time. The transmission matrix of the whole structure is expressed as:

[0103]

[0104] Among them, T c1 It can be expressed as:

[0105]

[0106] Substituting the matrix expression of formula (4) into formula (3), the matrix expression of formula (3) can be simplified as follows:

[0107]

[0108] In formula (3) and formula (5), f represents frequency.

[0109] When a1=a2=1 / (2 1 / 2 ), the delay intensity response and phase response of the two output terminals of the output configuration module are as follows Figure 8 shown. Figure 8 In the figure, the degree value represents the phase. It can be seen that although the delay difference (the difference in the slope of the phase response) of the two output ends of the output configuration module can be adjusted, one of the two output ends is broadband and the other is narrowband (Ch2 is broadband and Ch1 is narrowband). Therefore, it does not meet the requirements of dual-port applications.

[0110] When a1:a2=1:3 is adjusted, the delay intensity response and phase response of the two output terminals of the output configuration module are as follows: Fig. 9 shown. Fig. 9 In the figure, the degree value represents the phase.

[0111] At this time, the bandwidths of the two output sections of the integrated photonic delay array are both broadband responses. By setting unequal power, Out-1 has almost no interference (smooth amplitude), and Out-2 is a broadband response interval with strong interference. This ensures the broadband characteristics of the dual port.

[0112] right Figure 7 Each output end of the array shown is composed of two signals with different delays, so it is a typical response of a delay interferometer (periodic spectrum response, narrowband band-stop response and broadband bandpass response). This design uses the adjustable group delay characteristics of the broadband bandpass response interval to achieve adjustable delay. According to the principle of delay interferometer, the deeper the interference intensity, the greater the delay, so the delay adjustment can be achieved by adjusting the power allocation ratio of the power configuration module. In the application, it is necessary to adjust the delay difference between the two ports. This design cleverly uses unbalanced power allocation to achieve a broadband delay array that can achieve both delay adjustment and bidirectional adjustment with a single factor.

[0113] By properly setting the ratio of a1:a2, the interference intensity of the two output ends is significantly different, that is, one port has stronger interference (the difference between the two signal powers is small), and the group delay changes rapidly when the power allocation ratio is fine-tuned. On the other output end, there is almost no interference because the power difference between the two signals is large (for example, a difference of 10 times), and one signal is always dominant, so the group delay changes very limitedly. The group delay of the two output ends is reflected in that one changes faster and the other changes slowly, so the delay difference is continuously adjustable within a certain range. When the splitting ratio of the two ports of the output power splitter is swapped (from a1:a2 to a2:a1), the group delay characteristics of the two output ends are also swapped, and the delay difference of the two ports also completes the conversion from positive to negative or from negative to positive.

[0114] exist Figure 7 The simplified time delay interferometer unit T ΔtActually, it can be Figure 2 The components with fixed delays of T0, T1, T2, and T3 are combined. That is, in the embodiment of the present application, for realizing the forward delay, the above five delay modes can also be formed: T0: T0+T1, T0: T0+T1+T2, T0: T0+T1+2T2, T0: T0+T1+T2+T3, T0: T0+T1+2T2+T3.

[0115] According to the principle of delay interferometer, when the delay difference between two signals increases, the frequency period decreases, and the bandwidth of the adjustable delay line also decreases, but the sensitivity of the adjustable delay increases. Therefore, when the upper arm signal is only T1 delay difference compared with the lower arm signal, the delay array has the maximum bandwidth, but the sensitivity is low. Therefore, this design supports adjustable bandwidth (delay sensitivity), with a total of five bandwidths (sensitivities) to choose from.

[0116] In the embodiment of the present application, the output configuration module can realize the signal swap of the two output ends. For example, before the swap, the wavefront faces left (for example, 45°); after the swap, the wavefront faces right (for example, 135°). Therefore, by configuring the signal of the output end, the wavefront of the two-way delay can cover the entire forward space range.

[0117] It should be noted that the integrated photon delay array provided in the above embodiments 2 to 4 can be implemented by a set of hardware or by different hardware. When the integrated photon delay array provided in embodiments 2 to 4 is implemented by a set of hardware, the integrated photon delay array supports a variety of application variants, including: discrete adjustable delay, continuously adjustable delay, and wide-bandwidth continuously adjustable delay based on delay interferometer. When embodiments 2 to 4 are implemented by the same set of hardware, the cavity lengths of the ring resonator structures ORR-3 and ORR-2 may be inconsistent. For example, R3=2R1.

[0118] Embodiment 5

[0119] Based on the integrated photon delay arrays provided in the aforementioned embodiments, these integrated photon delay arrays can also be expanded into arrays with larger structures. The aforementioned 1x2 (i.e., one input end and two output ends) delay array can be used as the basic delay array unit in the embodiments of the present application, which can be further combined into a delay array of a larger size. And it is very easy to implement the positive and negative delay configuration of the array, and only needs to exchange the positive and negative delays of each basic unit. This cascaded delay array has a delay accumulation effect, which can reduce the requirements for the adjustment range of the subsequent delay units. The closer to the output end, the smaller the required delay adjustment range, which reduces the difficulty of hardware implementation. Its bidirectional delay characteristics can directly double the existing adjustment range, that is, the delay adjustment range can be doubled using the same adjustment unit.

[0120] To facilitate understanding of the structure of the integrated photon delay array in this embodiment, please refer to Fig.10 . Fig.10 The invention discloses a multi-port bidirectional integrated photonic delay array 1000, which includes a parent delay subarray 1001 and a child delay subarray 1002, wherein the parent delay subarray 1001 and the child delay subarray 1002 each include an input terminal and two output terminals; the child delay subarray 1002 is cascaded with the parent delay subarray 1001, and the input terminal of the child delay subarray 1002 is connected to an output terminal of the parent delay subarray 1001.

[0121] The parent delay subarray 1001 and the child delay subarray can both be the integrated photon delay array described in any of the above embodiments. It can be understood that: Fig.10 The sub-delay sub-array shown may also exist as a parent delay sub-array. In this embodiment, the order of magnitude of the parent delay sub-array 1001 and the sub-delay sub-array 1002 is not limited.

[0122] like Fig.10 The value displayed at the output port of each delay sub-array 1001 or 1002 shown in FIG. 1 is the delay of the port. Fig.10 The values ​​shown at the output ends of the delay sub-arrays shown in FIG. 1 indicate that the integrated photonic delay array 1000 is used as a forward delay array to achieve forward delay. Fig.10 After the two signals at the output ends of the delay sub-arrays 1001 and 1002 are exchanged, the integrated photon delay array 1000 is used as a negative delay array to achieve negative delay. Fig.11 As shown, compared to Fig.10 , the delays of the two output ends of each delay sub-array 1001 and 1002 of the integrated photonic delay array 1000 are swapped.

[0123] In summary, the innovations of the embodiments of the present application are briefly described below:

[0124] (1) The present application realizes a basic delay unit with more ports (dual ports), and no longer uses a one-input and one-output delay line as the basic delay unit; it is more conducive to large-scale array applications and realizes a more compact structure;

[0125] (2) This application realizes a multifunctional reconfigurable delay array, integrating multiple functions into a single structure, thereby achieving one structure supporting different applications.

[0126] (3) This application proposes a two-way delay based on spatial adjustment, which can reduce the complexity of adjustment control between different delays and use an easier way to swap the relative delays between delay arrays (positive delay is mapped to negative delay or vice versa). At the same time, using the same adjustment element, the adjustment range of the continuous delay is increased (doubled) and the number of discrete delays is increased (doubled);

[0127] (4) This application proposes for the first time a dual-port, bidirectional delay array based on a delay interferometer structure. Compared with the traditional adjustable delay array, it has lower cost, wider bandwidth and is continuously adjustable. By cleverly utilizing the power imbalance setting, a single adjustment element can achieve both delay adjustment and positive and negative delay conversion. Mapping the unidirectional delay of the traditional array to the opposite direction of the device (positive to negative or vice versa) can double the adjustment range of the same delay adjustment structure, giving it greater adjustment freedom.

[0128] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An integrated photon delay array, characterized in that: include: a first arm and a second arm; wherein the first end of the first arm and the first end of the second arm are respectively connected to the two output ends of the power configuration module, and the second end of the first arm and the second end of the second arm are respectively connected to the two input ends of the output configuration module; a delay configuration module and a fixed delay module are also provided on the first arm; the input end of the power configuration module serves as the input end of the entire integrated photon delay array, and the two output ends of the output configuration module serve as the two output ends of the entire integrated photon delay array; The power configuration module is used to distribute power to one input optical signal according to the configured power distribution mode, and the two distributed optical signals are output along the first arm and the second arm respectively; The delay configuration module is used to configure multiple delay modes; the delay configuration module includes: a first ring resonant cavity structure, a second ring resonant cavity structure and a third ring resonant cavity structure; The fixed delay module is used to construct a fixed delay difference between the first arm and the second arm; The output configuration module is used to configure the optical signals of the two output ends of the integrated photonic delay array according to the output configuration requirements to achieve positive delay or negative delay; the power allocation mode is specifically the first mode or the second mode; if the power allocation mode is specifically the first mode, the power configuration module is specifically used to allocate power to one input optical signal according to the first mode, so that the output power of the second end of the first arm and the second end of the second arm are balanced; or, if the power allocation mode is specifically the second mode, the power configuration module is specifically used to allocate power to one input optical signal according to the second mode, so that the power ratio of the first end of the first arm and the first end of the second arm is a1:a2, thereby making the group delay characteristics of the two output ends different; the difference between a1 and a2 is a preset multiple, and the preset multiple is greater than 1; The first ring resonant cavity structure, the second ring resonant cavity structure and the third ring resonant cavity structure all work in waveguide mode; the delay of the second arm is T0; the delay provided by the fixed delay module is T1; the delays provided by the first ring resonant cavity structure and the second ring resonant cavity structure are both T2; the delay provided by the third ring resonant cavity structure is T3; the delay configuration module is specifically used to configure one of the five delay modes; the two output ends of the integrated photonic delay array under the five delay modes The positive delay combinations are: T0: T0+T1, T0: T0+T1+T2, T0: T0+T1+2T2, T0: T0+T1+T2+T3, T0: T0+T1+2T2+T3; the negative delay combinations of the two output ends of the integrated photonic delay array under the five delay modes are: T0+T1: T0, T0+T1+T2: T0, T0+T1+2T2: T0, T0+T1+T2+T3: T0, T0+T1+2T2+T3: T0; Alternatively, the first ring resonant cavity structure, the second ring resonant cavity structure and the third ring resonant cavity structure all operate in the resonant cavity mode; the delay of the second arm is T0; the delay provided by the fixed delay module is T1; the cavity lengths of the first ring resonant cavity structure and the second ring resonant cavity structure are the same; the phases of the first ring resonant cavity structure, the second ring resonant cavity structure and the third ring resonant cavity structure are independently adjustable.

2. The integrated photon delay array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed delay module includes: a delay line.

3. The integrated photon delay array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first ring resonant cavity structure is cascaded with the second ring resonant cavity structure; and the second ring resonant cavity structure is coupled with the third ring resonant cavity structure.

4. The integrated photon delay array according to claim 1, characterized in that: If the first ring resonant cavity structure, the second ring resonant cavity structure and the third ring resonant cavity structure all operate in a waveguide mode, the time delay of the third ring resonant cavity structure is a positive integer multiple of the time delay of the first ring resonant cavity structure.

5. The integrated photon delay array according to claim 1, characterized in that: If the power allocation mode is specifically the second mode, when the output configuration module configures the optical signals of the two output ends according to the output configuration requirements, so that the positive delay is swapped to the negative delay, or the negative delay is swapped to the positive delay, the group delay characteristics of the two output ends are swapped.

6. An integrated photon delay array, characterized in that: include: A parent delay subarray and a child delay subarray, each of the parent delay subarray and the child delay subarray comprising an input port and two output ports; The sub-delay sub-array is cascaded with the parent time delay sub-array, and the input end of the sub-delay sub-array is connected to an output end of the parent time delay sub-array; The parent delay subarray is the integrated photon delay array according to any one of claims 1 to 5; The sub-delay sub-array is the integrated photonic delay array according to any one of claims 1-5.

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