Polar Lattice Optical Phased Array for Grating Lobe Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical phased arrays are bulky, complex, and difficult to scale, requiring significant area and complex control systems to manage environmental fluctuations, limiting their integration and performance.
Innovation Solution
A polar grid phased array design with optical transmitting/receiving elements positioned along concentric circular paths, allowing for scalable and highly integrated optical phased arrays with improved performance and reduced area consumption, eliminating grating lobes and enabling a large field of view with narrow beamwidth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional optical phased arrays are formed using injection locking of lasers or phase locking of multiple semiconductor lasers, then optical phased array functionality is achieved, but the device becomes bulky and consumes significant area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical/optical components (lasers, phase modulators, bulky optical components) with a photonic integrated circuit that uses waveguide-based optical phased array elements. This substitution eliminates the need for separate laser sources and phase modulators for each element, integrating everything into a compact planar structure that achieves the same beamforming functionality with significantly reduced area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple functional components (laser sources, phase modulators, optical paths) into a single integrated photonic circuit structure. The waveguide-based optical phased array integrates the optical path and phase control functions into unified elements, eliminating the need for separate components and reducing overall device area while maintaining optical phased array functionality.
2Ease of operation
If conventional optical phased arrays use array of phase modulators, then phase control is achieved, but the device requires complex control systems to minimize environmental fluctuations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex electronic phase modulators and their associated control systems with a waveguide-based optical phased array that achieves phase control through optical path length modulation. The integrated photonic circuit inherently compensates for environmental fluctuations through its design, eliminating the need for complex active control systems while maintaining precise phase control capability.
3Measurement precision
If conventional optical phased arrays are designed with sufficient elements for desired beamwidth, then beamforming performance is achieved, but the device is difficult to scale
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the optical phased array into multiple waveguide-based elements arranged in a scalable configuration. Each waveguide element acts as an independent phase-controlled aperture, and the overall array performance is determined by the number and arrangement of these segmented elements. This segmentation allows the array to be scaled by simply adding or removing waveguide elements without changing the fundamental design architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from one-dimensional linear arrays to two-dimensional planar waveguide arrays, enabling scalable configurations that can achieve desired beamwidths and field-of-view characteristics. The waveguide-based elements are arranged in a planar geometry that allows independent scaling in both horizontal and vertical dimensions, providing versatility for different application requirements.
4Measurement precision
If optical phased array elements are positioned to achieve narrow beamwidth, then beam precision is improved, but grating lobes appear that degrade performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the waveguide-based optical phased array elements along a curved surface (such as a spherical or cylindrical arc) rather than on a flat plane. This curved arrangement modifies the phase distribution across the aperture, enabling narrow beamwidth while suppressing grating lobes that would otherwise appear with planar element arrangements. The curvature effectively redistributes the optical paths to eliminate harmful interference patterns.
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 polar grid phased array achieves a narrow beamwidth with no grating lobes, reducing power consumption and area requirements, making it suitable for applications needing a large field of view and efficient element placement, while maintaining high performance characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
optical phased array transmitting elements positioned in a circular path
Implementation Method 2
phased arrays... beam steering... optical phased array receiving elements to receive the steered optical beam
Data Source
AI summary
An optical phased array includes a first multitude of optical transmitting/receiving elements (elements) positioned along a periphery of a first circular path. The phased array may further include a second multitude of optical elements positioned along a periphery of a second circular path concentric with the first circular path, and a third multitude of optical elements positioned along a periphery of a third circular path concentric with the first and second circular paths. The second circular path has a radius that is longer than the radius of the first circular path but shorter than the radius of the third circular. The number of the second multitude of optical elements is greater than the number of the first multitude of optical elements by N elements, and the number of the third multitude of optical elements is greater than the number of the second multitude of optical elements by M elements.