Two-dimensional silicon optical phased array with large field of view.

Abstract

Optical phased array (OPA) is a promising beam steering component for light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems. For most LiDAR applications, two-dimensional (2D, lateral and longitudinal) beam steering with large field of view is required. To achieve large lateral and longitudinal field of view, waveguide with nonuniform spacing and broadband tunable laser source is commonly utilized, resulting in complex structure and high cost. Here, a 2D OPA with large field of view is proposed and demonstrated on the silicon-on-insulator platform. Assisted by an improved optical antenna and polarization switch, lateral and longitudinal steering range could be both significantly improved. The experimental results show the steering ranges are 99.24° × 15.62° and 96.48° × 16.08° for transverse electric mode and transverse magnetic mode, respectively. The proposed scheme provides a promising approach to realize the integrated OPA with large field of view.