Methods and systems for optical beam steering

US10649306B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology · US

Inventors

• Scott A. Skirlo · Boston, US
• Cheryl Marie SORACE-AGASKAR · Bedford, US
• Marin Soljacic · Belmont, US
• Simon Verghese · Arlington, US
• Jeffrey S. Herd · Rowley, US
• Paul William Juodawlkis · Arlington, US
• Yi Yang · Cambridge, US
• Dirk Robert Englund · San Diego, US
• Mihika Prabhu · Cambridge, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 25, 2019
• Grant date: May 12, 2020
• Expiry date: Feb 25, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02F2203/70
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An integrated optical beam steering device includes a planar dielectric lens that collimates beams from different inputs in different directions within the lens plane. It also includes an output coupler, such as a grating or photonic crystal, that guides the collimated beams in different directions out of the lens plane. A switch matrix controls which input port is illuminated and hence the in-plane propagation direction of the collimated beam. And a tunable light source changes the wavelength to control the angle at which the collimated beam leaves the plane of the substrate. The device is very efficient, in part because the input port (and thus in-plane propagation direction) can be changed by actuating only log2 N of the N switches in the switch matrix. It can also be much simpler, smaller, and cheaper because it needs fewer control lines than a conventional optical phased array with the same resolution.