Monolithic optical phased-array transceiver in a standard SOI CMOS process.

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Nanotechnology
• Integrated Circuits
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Monolithic microwave phased arrays are common in automotive and wireless communication.
• Optical phased arrays have applications in imaging, lidar, and holography.
• Previous monolithic nanophotonic phased arrays lacked independent control and electronic integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the first monolithic optical phased array transceiver.
• To achieve independent control of amplitude and phase for each element.
• To integrate nanophotonic components with electronic circuitry on a single substrate.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a commercial foundry CMOS Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) process.
• Designed an 8x8 phased array chip with thermo-optical tunable phase shifters and attenuators.
• Integrated nano-photonic antennas and dedicated control electronics using CMOS transistors.

Main Results:

• Achieved independent amplitude and phase control for each element in a monolithic optical phased array.
• Demonstrated tight integration of electronic circuitry with nanophotonic components.
• Created a complex chip with over 300 optical and 74,000 electrical components, representing a high level of electronic-photonic integration.

Conclusions:

• This work presents a significant advancement in monolithic optical phased array technology.
• The developed transceiver enables unprecedented control and integration for optical systems.
• The demonstrated integration level paves the way for next-generation optical communication and sensing systems.