Silicon Photonic Beam Steerer Based on Metalens Focal Plane Array

TL;DR

This paper presents a silicon photonic beam steerer with an integrated metalens FPA that enables continuous, high-quality beam steering over a wide field of view without blind spots.

Contribution

It introduces a monolithically integrated metalens FPA with thermo-optic tuning for continuous beam steering on-chip, overcoming limitations of discrete FPA elements.

Findings

Achieved continuous steering over 62° field of view.

Tripled the number of resolvable points compared to previous designs.

Maintained high beam quality with 19 dB sidelobe suppression.

Abstract

Focal plane arrays (FPAs) promise robust solid-state beam steering for LiDAR and free-space optical communications. However, the need for external collimation lenses hinders chip-scale compactness. Discrete switching between FPA elements further introduces blind spots and limits the number of resolvable points, restricting applications that require continuous tracking. Here, we demonstrate a silicon photonic beam steerer based on a metalens FPA that monolithically integrates the collimation lens on-chip. Thermo-optic prisms enable continuous fine-tuning, eliminating blind spots and tripling the number of resolvable points. Continuous steering over a 62{\deg} field of view is achieved while maintaining high beam quality, with an average sidelobe suppression ratio of 19 dB.