Optical phased arrays
US9476981B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 28, 2014 |
| Grant date | Oct 25, 2016 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 30, 2035 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02F1/292
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An optical phased array formed of a large number of nanophotonic antenna elements can be used to project complex images into the far field. These nanophotonic phased arrays, including the nanophotonic antenna elements and waveguides, can be formed on a single chip of silicon using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) processes. Directional couplers evanescently couple light from the waveguides to the nanophotonic antenna elements, which emit the light as beams with phases and amplitudes selected so that the emitted beams interfere in the far field to produce the desired pattern. In some cases, each antenna in the phased array may be optically coupled to a corresponding variable delay line, such as a thermo-optically tuned waveguide or a liquid-filled cell, which can be used to vary the phase of the antenna's output (and the resulting far-field interference pattern).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.