Developing an integrated photonic system with a simple beamforming architecture for phased-array antennas

• DOI: 10.1364/ao.56.0000b5
• Publication Date: 2016-09-20T21:11:55Z
• Authors: Weimin Zhou; Michael Stead; Steven Weiss; Olukayode Okusaga; Lingjun Jiang; Stephen Anderson; Z. Rena Huang
• Keywords: Beam steering; True time delay; Phased-array optics; Waveguide

We have designed a simplified true-time-delay beamforming architecture using integrated photonics for phased-array antennas. This can independently control multiple RF beams simultaneously with only single tuning parameter to steer the beam in each direction beam. made proof-of-the-principle demonstration of an X-band, 30×4-elements, fiber-optics-based beamformer one-dimensional steering transmission mode. The goal is develop semiconductor-based photonic circuit so that 2D array both transmit and receive operations be on chip. For that, we Si-based waveguide two types "slow-light" tunable time delays two-dimensional steering.