End-Fire Silicon Optical Phased Array with Half-Wavelength Spacing

TL;DR

This paper presents a silicon-based optical phased array with half-wavelength spacing that achieves beam steering over 64 degrees, enabling compact and high-resolution optical beam control for integrated photonics.

Contribution

The work introduces a novel end-fire silicon optical phased array with lambda/2 spacing, demonstrating high confinement and effective beam steering capabilities.

Findings

Achieved lambda/2 spacing at 1.55 microns

Demonstrated 64-degree beam steering range

Produced a beam with 17-degree FWHM angular width

Abstract

We demonstrate a one-dimensional optical phased array on an integrated silicon platform for operation at 1.55 microns. Light is emitted end-fire from the chip edge where the waveguides are terminated. The innovative design and high confinement afforded by the silicon waveguides enables lambda/2 spacing (775-nm pitch) at the output. Steering is achieved by inducing a phase shift between the waveguides via integrated thermo-optic heaters. The device forms a beam with a FWHM angular width of 17 degrees, and we demonstrate beam steering over a 64 degrees range.