Reconfigurable half-wavelength transmit optical phased array

Abstract

The application provides a reconfigurable half-wavelength emission optical phased array, which comprises a cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch, a parallel modulator array and a dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emission array combined with an artificial norm field; the dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emission array combined with the artificial norm field comprises a sinusoidal curved waveguide array with width alternately changing in width and narrowness. The application realizes state switching between multiple light outputs by using an electrically / thermally adjustable optical switch based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer structure, or a germanium ion doped nonvolatile regulation optical switch based on the same structure, or a phase change material nonvolatile regulation optical switch based on the same structure, realizes selection and quantity control of working light path channels, and finally realizes light field regulation in a far field; and the dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emission array combined with the artificial norm field is used to realize 180-degree aliasing-free scanning in a far field and controllable spot size, field of view range and resolution.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of optoelectronic devices, and in particular to a reconfigurable half-wavelength emission optical phased array. Background Art

[0002] Optical phased arrays are a promising beam-forming technology that can precisely control the direction of a beam's main lobe by adjusting the phase of each outgoing wave. This technology is of great significance in modern optical applications, particularly in communications, imaging, and sensing. Compared to traditional beam-forming methods, optical phased arrays offer many advantages, including low cost, small size, high resolution, high accuracy, and fast response speed. These characteristics enable optical phased arrays to excel in dynamic environments.

[0003] An existing Chinese patent, publication number CN117581154A, discloses an integrated optical phased array (OPA) with a large field of view (FOV), potentially up to 180 degrees. One embodiment relates to a chip-integrated optical phased array, comprising: a phase shifter array having N input optical channels and configured to tune the phases of the N input optical channels; a beam splitter configured to split light from a light source into the N input channels of the phase shifter array; a waveguide array configured to squeeze the N phase-tuned optical channels into a narrowly spaced output end, such that light from the N channels interferes to form a plane wave at the output end; and a planar emitting surface configured to convert the plane wave into an amount of light emitted from the chip with a predetermined field of view (FOV).

[0004] However, current optical phased array systems still have limitations in their scanning range. Typically, their scanning range is limited to just a few tens of degrees, with constant resolution and spot size. This limitation is particularly pronounced in applications requiring omnidirectional control, such as autonomous driving, robotic vision, and high-precision measurement. Therefore, to overcome this limitation, further research and development is urgently needed to explore new design concepts and fabrication methods.

[0005] Against this backdrop, the rapid development of reconfigurable integrated photonics offers new possibilities for beam shaping technology. Compared to traditional devices, reconfigurable photonic devices offer significant advantages and potential in terms of speed, size, robustness, and conversion efficiency. Therefore, a reconfigurable half-wavelength emission optical phased array is needed. Through flexible beam control and highly integrated design, reconfigurable integrated photonics can achieve more flexible and efficient beam shaping, broadening the application range of optical phased arrays. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the defects in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a reconfigurable half-wavelength transmitting optical phased array.

[0007] According to the present invention, a reconfigurable half-wavelength emission optical phased array is provided, comprising: a cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch, a parallel modulator array, and a dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emission array combined with an artificial gauge field;

[0008] The cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch includes multiple layers of cascaded cascaded optical switch units, each of which includes: a 1×2 multimode interference coupler, an upper arm phase modulation region, a lower arm phase modulation region, and a 2×2 multimode interference coupler. The 1×2 multimode interference coupler is used to distribute an input optical signal to two output channels. The upper arm phase modulation region and the lower arm phase modulation region are used to adjust the phase of the optical signal. The 2×2 multimode interference coupler realizes optical path state switching through a phase difference between two arms.

[0009] The multiple optical signals output by the cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch are respectively input to the input end of the parallel modulator array, and the multiple output ends of the parallel modulator array are respectively connected to the input end of the dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emitting array combined with an artificial gauge field;

[0010] The dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emission array combined with an artificial gauge field comprises a sinusoidal curved waveguide array with alternately wide and narrow widths.

[0011] Preferably, the upper arm phase modulation region and the lower arm phase modulation region have the same structure, including an ion-doped silicon-based electro-optical phase modulation region, a silicon-based thermo-optical phase modulation region, a silicon-based germanium ion-doped phase modulation region or a silicon-based deposited phase change material phase modulation region.

[0012] Preferably, the upper arm phase modulation region includes a silicon-based electro-optical phase modulation region based on L-type ion doping, including: a P-type heavily doped region, an N-type heavily doped region, a P-type lightly doped region, an N-type lightly doped region, a first modulation electrode, a second modulation electrode, a silicon dioxide upper cladding, a silicon dioxide lower cladding and a silicon substrate. An L-type carrier depletion junction is formed between the P-type lightly doped region and the N-type lightly doped region. The modulated electrical signal is applied to the low-resistance P-type heavily doped region and the N-type heavily doped region through the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively, to adjust the carrier concentration of the junction formed by the P-type lightly doped region and the N-type lightly doped region, thereby changing the effective refractive index of the optical signal in the waveguide.

[0013] Preferably, the upper arm phase modulation region includes a silicon-based electro-optical phase modulation region based on U-type ion doping, including: a P-type heavily doped region, an N-type heavily doped region, a P-type lightly doped region, an N-type lightly doped region, a first modulation electrode, a second modulation electrode, a silicon dioxide upper cladding, a silicon dioxide lower cladding and a silicon substrate. A U-shaped carrier depletion junction is formed between the P-type lightly doped region and the N-type lightly doped region. The modulated electrical signal is applied to the low-resistance P-type heavily doped region and the N-type heavily doped region through the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively, to adjust the carrier concentration of the junction formed by the P-type lightly doped region and the N-type lightly doped region, thereby changing the effective refractive index of the optical signal in the waveguide.

[0014] Preferably, the upper arm phase modulation region includes a phase modulation region based on the thermo-optical effect, including: a third modulation electrode, a fourth modulation electrode, a thermocouple, a second silicon dioxide upper cladding, a silicon waveguide, a second silicon dioxide lower cladding and a second silicon substrate. The modulated electrical signal is applied to the thermocouple through the third modulation electrode and the fourth modulation electrode. The thermocouple generates a thermal effect, thereby changing the effective refractive index and phase of the optical signal in the silicon waveguide.

[0015] Preferably, the upper arm phase modulation region includes a phase modulation region based on germanium ion doping, including: a germanium ion doped region, a silicon ridge waveguide, a third silicon dioxide upper cladding, a third silicon dioxide lower cladding, and a third silicon substrate. By injecting germanium ions into the silicon ridge waveguide, a germanium ion doped region is formed to change the refractive index of the phase modulation region.

[0016] Preferably, the upper arm phase modulation region includes a phase modulation region based on phase change material, including: a modulation electrode, a phase change material deposited on a silicon waveguide, a fourth silicon waveguide, a fourth silicon dioxide lower cladding layer, and a fourth silicon substrate. The modulation electrical signal is applied to the phase change material through the modulation electrode, and the temperature of the phase change material region changes, thereby changing the effective refractive index and phase of the optical signal in the fourth silicon waveguide.

[0017] Preferably, the modulation period P of the dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emitting array combined with the artificial gauge field is 10 um, the amplitude A is 0.53 um, and the waveguide widths are 0.5 um and 0.54 um.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] The present invention realizes state switching between multiple light outputs, selection and quantity control of working optical path channels, and ultimately realizes far-field light field control, and control of light spot size, light field form and resolution through an electrically adjustable / thermally adjustable optical switch based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer structure, or a germanium ion-doped non-volatile control optical switch based on the same structure, or a phase-change material non-volatile control optical switch based on the same structure. By combining a dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emitting array with an artificial gauge field, 180-degree aliasing-free scanning in the far field and controllable light spot size, field of view range and resolution are achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the following drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a reconfigurable half-wavelength transmitting optical phased array according to the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge-emitting array combined with an artificial gauge field, which is mainly embodied in the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cascade optical switch unit mainly embodied in the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a silicon-based electro-optical phase modulation region based on L-type ion doping, which is mainly embodied in the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a silicon-based electro-optical phase modulation region based on U-type ion doping, which is mainly embodied in the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a phase modulation region based on a thermo-optical effect, which is mainly embodied in the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a phase modulation region based on germanium ion doping, which is mainly embodied in the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a phase-modulation region based on a phase-change material, which is mainly embodied in the present invention;

[0029] Figure 9 The present invention mainly embodies the normalized far-field image.

[0030] As shown in the figure:

[0031] Cascaded Mach-Zehnder Interferometer Optical Switch 10000 Parallel Modulator Array 20000 Dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge-emitting array 30000 combined with artificial gauge field

[0032] First layer cascade optical switch 11000 Second layer first cascade optical switch 12000

[0033] Second layer second cascade optical switch 13000 Third layer first cascade optical switch 14000

[0034] Third layer second cascade optical switch 15000 Third layer third cascade optical switch 16000 The third layer and the fourth cascade optical switch 17000 input waveguide 11010

[0035] 1×2 multimode interference coupler 11020 Upper arm phase modulation area 11030 Lower arm phase modulation area 11040 2×2 multimode interference coupler 11050 P-type heavily doped region 11031 N-type heavily doped region 11032 P-type lightly doped region 11033 N-type lightly doped region 11034

[0036] First modulation electrode 11035 Second modulation electrode 11036 Silica upper cladding 11037 Silica lower cladding 11038 Silicon substrate 11039 Third modulation electrode 21031

[0037] Fourth modulation electrode 21032 Hot electrode 21033

[0038] Second silica upper cladding 21034 Silicon waveguide 21035

[0039] Second silicon dioxide lower cladding layer 21036 Second silicon substrate 21037

[0040] Germanium ion doped region 31031 Silicon ridge waveguide 31032

[0041] The third silica upper cladding layer 31033 The third silica lower cladding layer 31034

[0042] Third silicon substrate 31035 Modulation electrode 41031 Phase change material 41032

[0043] Fourth silicon waveguide 41033 Fourth silicon dioxide lower cladding 41034 and the fourth silicon substrate 41035 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments. The following examples will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but are not intended to limit the present invention in any form. It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, several changes and improvements can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. These all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0045] like Figure 1-9 As shown, a reconfigurable half-wavelength emission optical phased array provided by the present invention includes: a cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch 10000, a parallel modulator array 20000, and a dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emission array 30000 combined with an artificial gauge field; the cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch 10000 includes multiple layers of cascaded cascade optical switch units. The cascaded optical switch unit, as the basic structure of the cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch, includes an input waveguide 11010 and an output waveguide to ensure effective transmission of optical signals. Any cascade optical switch includes: a 1×2 multimode interference coupler 11020, an upper arm phase modulation region 11030, a lower arm phase modulation region 11040, and a 2×2 multimode interference coupler 11050. The 1×2 multimode interference coupler 11020 is used for The input optical signal is distributed to two output channels. The upper arm phase modulation area 11030 and the lower arm phase modulation area 11040 are used to adjust the phase of the optical signal. The 2×2 multimode interference coupler 11050 realizes the optical path state switching through the phase difference between the two arms; the multiple optical signals output by the cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch 10000 are respectively input to the input end of the parallel modulator array 20000, and the multiple output ends of the parallel modulator array 20000 are respectively connected to the input end of the dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emitting array 30000 combined with the artificial gauge field; the dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emitting array 30000 combined with the artificial gauge field includes a sinusoidally curved waveguide array with alternating widths, so that the silicon waveguide can be densely arranged at half the wavelength without generating crosstalk with adjacent waveguides.

[0046] The upper arm phase modulation region 11030 and the lower arm phase modulation region 11040 include the same structure, including an ion-doped silicon-based electro-optical phase modulation region, a silicon-based thermo-optical phase modulation region, a silicon-based germanium ion-doped phase modulation region, or a silicon-based deposited phase change material phase modulation region.

[0047] This application is further explained by taking the upper arm phase adjustment area 11030 as an example.

[0048] The upper arm phase modulation region 11030 includes a silicon-based electro-optic phase modulation region based on L-type ion doping, including a P-type heavily doped region 11031, an N-type heavily doped region 11032, a P-type lightly doped region 11033, an N-type lightly doped region 11034, a first modulation electrode 11035, a second modulation electrode 11036, a silicon dioxide upper cladding layer 11037, a silicon dioxide lower cladding layer 11038, and a silicon substrate 11039. Specifically, an L-type carrier depletion junction region is formed between the P-type lightly doped region 11033 and the N-type lightly doped region 11034, and a modulation electrical signal is applied to the P-type heavily doped region 11031 and the N-type heavily doped region 11032 through the first electrode 11035 and the second electrode 11036, respectively, so as to adjust the carrier concentration of the junction region formed by the P-type lightly doped region 11033 and the N-type lightly doped region 11034, and further change the effective refractive index of the optical signal in the waveguide. Due to the lateral distribution of the L-type carrier depletion junction region in the entire silicon waveguide region, the effective refractive index / phase modulation can be generated for both the fundamental mode optical signal and the high-order mode optical signal.

[0049] The upper arm phase modulation region 11030 includes a silicon-based electro-optic phase modulation region based on L-type ion doping, including a P-type heavily doped region 11031, an N-type heavily doped region 11032, a P-type lightly doped region 11033, an N-type lightly doped region 11034, a first modulation electrode 11035, a second modulation electrode 11036, a silicon dioxide upper cladding layer 11037, a silicon dioxide lower cladding layer 11038, and a silicon substrate 11039. Specifically, an L-type carrier depletion junction region is formed between the P-type lightly doped region 11033 and the N-type lightly doped region 11034, and a modulation electrical signal is applied to the P-type heavily doped region 11031 and the N-type heavily doped region 11032 through the first electrode 11035 and the second electrode 11036, respectively, so as to adjust the carrier concentration of the junction region formed by the P-type lightly doped region 11033 and the N-type lightly doped region 11034, and further change the effective refractive index of the optical signal in the waveguide. Due to the lateral distribution of the L-type carrier depletion junction region in the entire silicon waveguide region, the effective refractive index / phase modulation can be generated for both the fundamental mode optical signal and the high-order mode optical signal.

[0050] In some other specific embodiments, the upper arm phase modulation region 11030 includes a phase modulation region based on the thermo-optic effect, including a third modulation electrode 21031, a fourth modulation electrode 21032, a heating electrode 21033, a second silicon dioxide upper cladding layer 21034, a silicon waveguide 21035, a second silicon dioxide lower cladding layer 21036, and a second silicon substrate 21037. Specifically, a modulation electrical signal is applied to the heating electrode 21033 through the third modulation electrode 21031 and the fourth modulation electrode 21032, the heating electrode 21033 generates a thermal effect, the temperature changes, and further adjusts the temperature of the lower waveguide, changes the effective refractive index and the phase of the optical signal in the silicon waveguide 21035.

[0051] In some other embodiments, the upper arm phase modulation region 11030 comprises a phase modulation region based on germanium ion doping, including: a germanium ion doping region 31031, a silicon ridge waveguide 31032, a third upper silica cladding layer 31033, a third lower silica cladding layer 31034, and a third silicon substrate 31035. Specifically, by implanting germanium ions in the silicon ridge waveguide 31032, a germanium ion doping region is formed, thereby changing the refractive index of the phase modulation region. After laser annealing, the germanium ion doping region can be erased, restoring the refractive index properties of the original silicon waveguide. That is, by ion implantation and laser annealing processes, the effective refractive index of the optical signal in the waveguide can also be changed, thereby changing the phase. Compared with the silicon-based electro-optic / thermal-optic phase modulation region, the germanium ion doping phase modulation has non-volatility, and can maintain the phase control in this state after doping / annealing without the need for continuous voltage supply of the electro-optic / thermal-optic phase modulation region. However, the disadvantage is that after laser annealing, the implanted germanium ions are completely erased, and only a single state selection switching can be performed.

[0052] In some other embodiments, the upper arm phase modulation region 11030 comprises a phase modulation region based on a phase change material, including: a modulation electrode 41031, a phase change material 41032 deposited on a silicon waveguide, a fourth silicon waveguide 41033, a fourth lower silica cladding layer 41034, and a fourth silicon substrate 41035. Specifically, a modulation electrical signal is applied to the phase change material 41032 through the modulation electrode 41031, causing the temperature of the phase change material 41032 region to change, thereby changing its refractive index to change the effective refractive index of the optical signal in the fourth silicon waveguide 41033 and the phase. The refractive index change of the phase change material 41032 is also non-volatile, that is, after the refractive index / phase change is regulated to a certain amount, the regulating voltage can be removed, and the phase change amount in the corresponding state will remain unchanged. When state switching is needed, the voltage is applied again to change the temperature, so that the refractive index / phase of the phase change material 41032 changes to the corresponding requirement in other states. Unlike the germanium ion doping phase modulation region, the phase modulation region based on the phase change material can perform multiple reconfigurable non-volatile state switching.

[0053] The modulation period P of the dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emission array 30000 combined with the artificial norm field is 10 um, the amplitude A is 0.53 um, and the waveguide width is 0.5 um and 0.54 um.

[0054] This application introduces a dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge-emitting array 30000 combined with an artificial gauge field. Specifically, these are sinusoidally curved waveguides with alternating widths. When the silicon waveguide array spacing is less than or approaching subwavelength spacing, a normalized far-field image of the device is simulated, revealing that only the main mode exists within a 180° field of view, with no side modes. When the channel spacing satisfies the subwavelength condition, only the central main maximum exists within the field of view, suppressing the presence of side modes. Phase modulation allows only the main maximum to move within the field of view, resulting in an unlimited scanning angle range. This effectively suppresses aliasing caused by adjacent main maximums and enables alias-free scanning.

[0055] The cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch 10000 for the co-installed photonic integrated interconnect system with dynamic capacity scalability described in this application uses a three-layer cascade as an example. In practical applications, this is not limited to a three-layer cascade; the number of optical paths can be 2 to the power of n, where n is a positive integer. The three-stage Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch cascade enables operational selection and switching between eight optical paths, as well as control of the number of active optical paths (one, two, four, or eight) through different control voltage states in the phase modulation regions of each optical switch. The corresponding active optical path signals are modulated by the parallel modulator array 20000 to generate the corresponding far-field optical field. By adjusting the voltage of the parallel modulator array, a fixed phase difference is established between different channels, resulting in a stable intensity distribution in space and a far-field with controllable spot size, field of view, and resolution, thus enabling optical field manipulation. The output is then output to free space by the on-chip dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge-emitting array 30000, which incorporates an artificial gauge field, enabling far-field manipulation of the optical field, controlling the spot size, field of view, and resolution.

[0056] The three-layer cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch includes a first-layer cascade optical switch 11000, a second-layer first cascade optical switch 12000, a second-layer second cascade optical switch 13000, a third-layer first cascade optical switch 14000, a third-layer second cascade optical switch 15000, a third-layer third cascade optical switch 16000, and a third-layer fourth cascade optical switch 17000, serving as the basic structure of the cascade optical switch array.

[0057] Taking the first-level cascade optical switch 11000 as an example, a first optical signal is input from input waveguide 11010 in TE0 mode. It is evenly split by a 1x2 multimode interference coupler 11020, forming a second optical signal and a third optical signal, which are input to the upper and lower arms of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer, respectively. The upper and lower arm phase modulation sections 11030 and 11040 of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer phase modulate the second and third optical signals, respectively. Based on the phase difference between the modulated optical signals, the two output ends of the multimode interference coupler 11150 have different output states, enabling full light output from one output end or equal light output from both output ends. When light is output from the upper port of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch, the control voltage of the phase modulation section is V1. When light is output from the lower port of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch, the control voltage of the phase modulation section is V2. When light is evenly split from the upper and lower ports of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch, the control voltage of the phase modulation section is V3.

[0058] Continuing to cascade the proposed mode-multiplexing Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch after the two output ports enables larger-scale channel selection and controlled switching of the number of operating optical paths. Taking a three-stage Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch as an example, light can be output from any of the eight channels. For example, when the control voltages of the first-stage cascade optical switch 11000, the second-stage first-stage cascade optical switch 12000, and the third-stage first-stage cascade optical switch 14000 are all V1, light is output from channel 1. When the control voltages of the first-stage cascade optical switch 11000 and the second-stage first-stage cascade optical switch 12000 are V1, and the third-stage first-stage cascade optical switch 14000 are V2, light is output from channel 2. The same principle applies to the remaining channels; by controlling the corresponding optical switches in the three-stage cascade, any of the eight channels can be selected for operation.

[0059] The three-stage cascade Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch can also be controlled to realize four-way output. For example, when the control voltage of the optical switch 11000 is V1, and the control voltages of the first cascade optical switch 12000 in the second layer, the first cascade optical switch 14000 in the third layer, and the second cascade optical switch 15000 in the third layer are all V3, the light is split into four and outputted simultaneously and evenly from channels 1, 2, 3, and 4; when the control voltage of the first cascade optical switch 11000 is V2, and the control voltages of the second cascade optical switch 13000 in the second layer, the third cascade optical switch 16000 in the third layer, and the fourth cascade optical switch 17000 in the third layer are all V3, the light is split into four and outputted simultaneously and evenly from channels 5, 6, 7, and 8; When the control voltage of the first-layer cascade optical switch 14000 and the third-layer third-layer cascade optical switch 16000 is V3, and the control voltage of the second-layer first-layer cascade optical switch 12000 and the second-layer second-layer cascade optical switch 13000 is V1, light is output simultaneously and equally from channels 1, 2, 5, and 6. When the control voltage of the first-layer cascade optical switch 11000, the third-layer second-layer cascade optical switch 15000, and the third-layer fourth-layer cascade optical switch 17000 is V3, and the control voltage of the second-layer first-layer cascade optical switch 12000 and the second-layer second-layer cascade optical switch 13000 is V2, light is output simultaneously and equally from channels 3, 4, 7, and 8. The selection states of the remaining channels are similar. By controlling the corresponding optical switches in the three-layer cascade, any four of the eight channels can be selected for operation.

[0060] The three-stage cascade Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch can also be controlled to achieve eight-way output. When the control voltage of the first-layer cascade optical switch 11000, the second-layer first-layer cascade optical switch 12000, the second-layer second-layer cascade optical switch 13000, the third-layer first-layer cascade optical switch 14000, the third-layer second-layer cascade optical switch 15000, the third-layer third-layer cascade optical switch 16000, and the third-layer fourth-layer cascade optical switch 17000 is all V3, the light is split into eight and output equally from the eight channels.

[0061] As described above, driving a three-stage cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch with different control voltages enables selective switching between eight optical paths, as well as switching between one, two, four, or eight active optical paths. By cascading further layers, channel selection and channel count control can be expanded to 16, 32, 64, or even more optical paths. The corresponding active optical path signals are modulated by a modulator, controlling the phase difference between the channels. This creates constructive interference in the far field, forming a stable, bright light spot. Dynamic scanning of the light spot can be achieved by controlling the voltage of the parallel modulators.

[0062] During the phase modulation process of the entire Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch described above, the number of channels and the spacing of the transmitting array are indirectly controlled by controlling the channel selection, number of channels, and channel rate, thereby controlling the size, scanning range, and resolution of the far-field light spot, which has very high practical value.

[0063] The light field reconfigurable subwavelength emitting optical phased array of the present application is an electrically adjustable / thermally adjustable optical switch based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer structure, or a non-volatile controllable optical switch of germanium ions doped with the same structure, or a non-volatile controllable optical switch of phase change materials based on the same structure, and a waveguide superlattice combined with an artificial gauge field to realize an edge-emitting array with subwavelength spacing, thereby achieving 180-degree aliasing-free scanning in the far field and controllable spot size, field of view range, and resolution.

[0064] This application can realize the control of channel selection, channel number and channel rate, and obtain a photonic integrated interconnected optical phased array device with controllable light field, thereby achieving 180-degree far-field aliasing-free scanning and controllable spot size, field of view range and resolution.

[0065] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application.

[0066] The above describes specific embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and that those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, without affecting the essence of the present invention. Unless there is a conflict, the embodiments of this application and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other in any manner.

Claims

1. A reconfigurable half-wavelength transmitting optical phased array, characterized in that: include: Cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch (10,000), parallel modulator array (20,000), dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge-emitting array combined with artificial gauge field (30,000); The cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch (10000) comprises a multi-layer cascaded cascade optical switch unit, and any of the cascaded optical switch units comprises: a 1×2 multimode interference coupler (11020), an upper arm phase modulation region (11030), a lower arm phase modulation region (11040), and a 2×2 multimode interference coupler (11050). The 1×2 multimode interference coupler (11020) is used to distribute an input optical signal to two output channels, the upper arm phase modulation region (11030) and the lower arm phase modulation region (11040) are used to adjust the phase of the optical signal, and the 2×2 multimode interference coupler (11050) realizes optical path state switching through a phase difference between two arms. The multiple optical signals output by the cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical switch (10000) are respectively input to the input ends of the parallel modulator array (20000), and the multiple output ends of the parallel modulator array (20000) are respectively connected to the input ends of the dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emission array (30000) combined with an artificial gauge field; The dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emission array (30000) combined with an artificial gauge field comprises a sinusoidal curved waveguide array with alternately wide and narrow widths.

2. The reconfigurable half-wavelength transmitting optical phased array according to claim 1, wherein: The upper arm phase modulation region (11030) and the lower arm phase modulation region (11040) include the same structure, including an ion-doped silicon-based electro-optical phase modulation region, a silicon-based thermo-optical phase modulation region, a silicon-based germanium ion-doped phase modulation region or a silicon-based deposited phase change material phase modulation region.

3. The reconfigurable half-wavelength transmitting optical phased array according to claim 2, wherein: The upper arm phase modulation region (11030) comprises a silicon-based electro-optical phase modulation region based on L-type ion doping, including: a P-type heavily doped region (11031), an N-type heavily doped region (11032), a P-type lightly doped region (11033), an N-type lightly doped region (11034), a first modulation electrode (11035), a second modulation electrode (11036), a silicon dioxide upper cladding layer (11037), a silicon dioxide lower cladding layer (11038) and a silicon substrate (11039), wherein the P-type An L-type carrier depletion junction is formed between the lightly doped region (11033) and the N-type lightly doped region (11034). A modulated electrical signal is applied to the low-resistance P-type heavily doped region (11031) and the N-type heavily doped region (11032) through a first electrode (11035) and a second electrode (11036), respectively, to adjust the carrier concentration of the junction formed by the P-type lightly doped region (11033) and the N-type lightly doped region (11034), thereby changing the effective refractive index of the optical signal in the waveguide.

4. The reconfigurable half-wavelength transmitting optical phased array according to claim 2, wherein: The upper arm phase modulation region (11030) comprises a silicon-based electro-optical phase modulation region based on U-type ion doping, including: a P-type heavily doped region (11031), an N-type heavily doped region (11032), a P-type lightly doped region (11033), an N-type lightly doped region (11034), a first modulation electrode (11035), a second modulation electrode (11036), a silicon dioxide upper cladding layer (11037), a silicon dioxide lower cladding layer (11038) and a silicon substrate (11039), wherein the P-type A U-shaped carrier depletion junction is formed between the lightly doped region (11033) and the N-type lightly doped region (11034). A modulated electrical signal is applied to the low-resistance P-type heavily doped region (11031) and the N-type heavily doped region (11032) through a first electrode (11035) and a second electrode (11036), respectively, to adjust the carrier concentration of the junction formed by the P-type lightly doped region (11033) and the N-type lightly doped region (11034), thereby changing the effective refractive index of the optical signal in the waveguide.

5. The reconfigurable half-wavelength transmitting optical phased array according to claim 2, wherein: The upper arm phase modulation region (11030) includes a phase modulation region based on the thermo-optical effect, including: a third modulation electrode (21031), a fourth modulation electrode (21032), a thermoelectrode (21033), a second silicon dioxide upper cladding layer (21034), a silicon waveguide (21035), a second silicon dioxide lower cladding layer (21036) and a second silicon substrate (21037). A modulated electrical signal is applied to the thermoelectrode (21033) through the third modulation electrode (21031) and the fourth modulation electrode (21032). The thermoelectrode (21033) generates a thermal effect, thereby changing the effective refractive index and phase of the optical signal in the silicon waveguide (21035).

6. The reconfigurable half-wavelength transmitting optical phased array according to claim 2, wherein: The upper arm phase modulation region (11030) includes a phase modulation region based on germanium ion doping, including: a germanium ion doped region (31031), a silicon ridge waveguide (31032), a third silicon dioxide upper cladding layer (31033), a third silicon dioxide lower cladding layer (31034), and a third silicon substrate (31035). By injecting germanium ions into the silicon ridge waveguide (31032), a germanium ion doped region is formed, thereby changing the refractive index of the phase modulation region.

7. The reconfigurable half-wavelength transmitting optical phased array according to claim 2, wherein: The upper arm phase modulation region (11030) includes a phase modulation region based on a phase change material, including: a modulation electrode (41031), a phase change material (41032) deposited on a silicon waveguide, a fourth silicon waveguide (41033), a fourth silicon dioxide lower cladding (41034) and a fourth silicon substrate (41035). A modulation electrical signal is applied to the phase change material (41032) through the modulation electrode (41031), and the temperature of the phase change material (41032) region changes, thereby changing the effective refractive index and phase of the optical signal in the fourth silicon waveguide (41033).

8. The reconfigurable half-wavelength transmitting optical phased array according to claim 1, wherein: The dense waveguide superlattice half-wavelength edge emission array (30000) combined with an artificial gauge field has a modulation period P of 10 μm, an amplitude A of 0.53 μm, and waveguide widths of 0.5 μm and 0.54 μm.

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