Phase-wrapping method for beam steering in optical phased arrays
| DWPI Title: Method for controlling phase shifts produced in binary corporate tree network to drive phased array for steering optical beam, involves applying control signals to one of primary phase shifters so as to produce controlled phase shifts |
| Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for controlling the phase shifts produced in a binary corporate tree network of the kind, e.g., that can drive a phased array for steering an optical beam. The method employs a novel phase-wrapping technique in which an entire layer of the binary tree is disabled when the phase added in that layer reaches 2π. With that technique, it is possible to economize on electrical control lines and on the use of electric power, while still maintaining the ability to produce arbitrary phases at the output of the tree network. |
| Use: Method for controlling phase shifts produced in a binary corporate tree network to drive a phased array for steering an optical beam of an optical communication system and optical signal processing system used in a Light Detection and Ranging application by using a photonic integrated circuit. |
| Advantage: The method enables economizing on electrical control lines and on use of electric power while still maintaining ability to produce arbitrary phases at an output of a tree network. The method enables generating multiple phase-shifted replicas of an input optical signal in efficient manner. |
| Novelty: The method involves injecting an input optical signal into a binary tree network conformed to split the input optical signal into output optical signals distributed over a set of output waveguides, where the network comprises a set of levels and nodes at each level. Incoming light is split between a phase-shifting path and a non-phase-shifting path at each of the nodes, where each of the phase-shifting paths passes through a primary phase shifter (105) at the level to which the node belongs. Control signals are applied to one of the primary phase shifters to produce controlled phase shifts, where the primary phase shifters at each level receive the same control signal to produce a level-specific phase shift that is same for the primary phase shifters at that level and the control signals are applied subject to a condition that when a level-specific phase shift increases to 2 pie and is reset to zero. |
| Filed: 2/23/2021 |
| Application Number: US17182883A |
| Tech ID: SD 14464.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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