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Ultra-Compact and Broadband Nano-Integration Optical Phased Array
Zhicheng Wang1,2, Junbo Feng3, Haitang Li4
1College of Artificial Intelligence, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 28, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed a compact optical phased array (OPA) beam-splitting scheme using nano-inverse design. This innovation significantly reduces OPA size, enabling large-scale on-chip integration.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Nanotechnology
- Integrated Optics
Background:
- Large-scale optical phased arrays (OPAs) are crucial for advanced optical systems.
- Current integrated OPAs are limited by the large lateral dimensions of beam-splitting structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose an ultra-compact and broadband OPA beam-splitting scheme.
- To overcome the limitations of existing beam-splitting structures for on-chip integration.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a nano-inverse design approach.
- Employed a staged design for T-branch optimization.
- Conducted three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (3D FDTD) simulations.
Main Results:
- Achieved a T-branch with 500 nm bandwidth (1300-1800 nm) and -0.2 dB insertion loss.
- Demonstrated a 1x16 OPA beam-splitter with a lateral dimension of only 27.3 μm.
- Simulated a wide diffraction angle range (0.6°-41.6°) within 1370-1600 nm.
Conclusions:
- The proposed cascaded T-branch configuration offers high scalability and width preservation.
- This scheme significantly reduces OPA lateral dimensions, enabling large-scale on-chip integration.
- The developed OPA beam-splitter is a promising solution for future integrated photonic systems.
