Compact solid-state optical phased array beam scanners based on polymeric photonic integrated circuits.

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Solid-State Devices

Background:

• Optical phased array (OPA) devices are crucial for compact solid-state beam scanners.
• Existing silicon photonic OPAs face challenges in phase distribution control and beamforming.
• Perfluorinated polymers offer unique properties suitable for advanced optical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a polymer waveguide OPA for efficient beam scanning.
• To leverage perfluorinated polymers for low driving power and high optical throughput.
• To develop laser-integrated polymeric OPA beam scanners for 2D beam steering.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a polymer waveguide OPA using perfluorinated polymers.
• Integration of a tunable wavelength laser with a polymer waveguide Bragg reflector.
• Demonstration of two-dimensional beam scanning capabilities.

Main Results:

• The polymer waveguide OPA exhibits low driving power requirements.
• High optical throughput is achieved with the proposed polymer OPA.
• Sustainable phase distribution control during beam scanning was enabled, reducing beamforming burden.
• Successful demonstration of two-dimensional beam scanning.

Conclusions:

• Polymer waveguide OPAs offer significant advantages over silicon photonic counterparts.
• The proposed device facilitates the development of compact, laser-integrated polymeric OPA beam scanners.
• This technology is promising for applications in LiDAR, free-space optical links, and biophotonics.