On-Chip Mirror Beamforming for Aberration-Free Collimated Beams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chips face challenges in producing millimeter-scale diameter, low-divergence collimated beams due to the need for external lenses, which are costly, require precise alignment, and are prone to misalignment from vibrations, and suffer from optical aberrations in single-element lens designs that are difficult to manufacture and correct.
Innovation Solution
A mirror-based beamforming device on a photonic chip using a slab waveguide and an elliptical reflector to redirect and collimate light beams, eliminating the need for external lenses and correcting optical aberrations through multiple reflectors or lenses integrated on-chip.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If external lenses are used to create collimated beams, then beam collimation is achieved, but manufacturing cost and assembly complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the collimation function directly into the photonic chip by fabricating lens structures on the chip surface using standard semiconductor manufacturing techniques. This merges the light source and collimation optics into a single integrated device, eliminating the need for separate external lenses and their precise alignment, thereby reducing assembly complexity while maintaining beam collimation quality
Solution Approach 2:
The photonic chip is designed to perform multiple functions: generating light, shaping the beam, and collimating the output all in one device. The on-chip lens structures enable the chip to serve as both the light source and the optical system, reducing the number of external components needed and simplifying the overall device architecture
2Manufacturing precision
If external lenses are used for beam collimation, then collimated output is achieved, but alignment precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the lens structures directly on the photonic chip, the patent eliminates the interface between separate components that would require precise alignment. The on-chip lenses are factory-aligned with the waveguide output, removing the need for manual alignment procedures and reducing sensitivity to vibration and motion during operation
3Manufacturing precision
If single-element lenses are used for collimation, then beam collimation is achieved, but optical aberrations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs multi-element lens systems or aspheric lens profiles fabricated on the chip to correct optical aberrations. By segmenting the optical function into multiple elements with different powers and positions, the system can correct spherical aberration, chromatic aberration, and other distortions that plague single-element lenses, while still maintaining integration on the photonic chip
4Manufacturing precision
If on-chip lens structures are fabricated with varied thickness or overlay layers, then collimation is achieved, but manufacturing tolerances become impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses standard semiconductor fabrication techniques to create on-chip lens structures with controlled thickness profiles or refractive index variations. By leveraging established manufacturing processes with known capability levels, the design achieves the necessary optical precision without requiring impractical nanometer-level tolerances, making the solution manufacturable with current technology
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables cost-effective, durable, and aberration-free collimated beam generation directly from the photonic chip, improving durability and reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining high imaging performance.
Implementation Method 1
a slab waveguide for confining the first beam of light in a first dimension, while enabling the first output beam of light to diverge in a second perpendicular dimension
Implementation Method 2
a reflector coupled to the slab waveguide for redirecting and substantially collimating the first output beam of light for output. The reflector may comprise an elliptical reflector, which defines a segment of an ellipse comprising a first focus and a second focus
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are systems and architecture for sending and receiving collimated beams directly from a photonic chip via on-chip mirror beamforming device to reduce manufacturing difficulties and optical aberrations. More specifically, an elliptical or parabolic mirror may be used in the photonic chip to collimate beams emitted from a waveguide port and to further enable techniques, such as wavefront error correction and beam steering, without moving parts.