Visible-light optical phased array on a thin-film lithium niobate platform for high-speed beam steering

We demonstrate a visible-light optical phased array (OPA) realized on a thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) platform. The OPA chip integrates 32 channels and independently modulates the phase of each channel through an electro-optic phase shifter for the first time, to our knowledge, exhibiting a rapid response speed. The electro-optic rising edge response time is 12 ns, while the falling edge response time is 14 ns. Additionally, a combination of non-periodic arrays and a slab grating is employed to suppress the grating lobes of far-field beams, thereby achieving a large field of view (FOV) and a small beam divergence. A 32-channel OPA has been demonstrated, showing a FOV of 40° and a beam divergence of 0.41° in the phase tuning direction at 633 nm.