Integrated optical phased arrays with optically enhanced elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11249369-B2
Application number	US-201715728245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2017
Priority date	Oct 7, 2016
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

An optical phased array includes, in part, N optical signal emitting elements, and N lenses each associated with a different one of the N optical signal emitting elements and positioned to form an image of its associated signal emitting element, where N is an integer greater than 1. The optical signal emitting elements may be a grating coupler, an edge coupler, and the like. At least a number of the lenses may be formed from Silicon. The optical phased array may optionally include one or more concave or convex lens positioned between the signal emitting elements and the N lenses. The optical signal emitting elements may be formed in a silicon dioxide layer formed above a semiconductor substrate and the lenses may be formed from Silicon disposed above the silicon dioxide layer. The optical signal emitting elements may receive an optical signal generated by the same source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical phase array comprising:
a plurality of optical signal emitting elements;
a plurality of lenses each associated with a different one of the plurality of optical signal emitting elements and positioned to form an image thereof, wherein at least a first one of the plurality of optical signal emitting elements is a grating coupler; and
a concave lens positioned away from the plurality of signal emitting elements and the plurality of lenses.

2. The optical phased array of claim 1 wherein each of at least a subset of the plurality of lenses is formed from Silicon.

3. An optical phase array comprising:
a plurality of optical signal emitting elements;
a plurality of lenses each associated with a different one of the plurality of optical signal emitting elements and positioned to form an image thereof, wherein at least a first one of the plurality of optical signal emitting elements is a grating coupler; and
a convex lens positioned away from the plurality of signal emitting elements and the plurality of lenses.

4. The optical phased array of claim 1 wherein said plurality of optical signal emitting elements are formed in a silicon dioxide layer formed above a semiconductor substrate and said plurality of lenses are formed from silicon disposed above the silicon dioxide layer.

5. The optical phased array of claim 1 wherein said plurality of optical signal emitting elements are formed in a silicon dioxide layer formed above a semiconductor substrate, and wherein said plurality of lenses and the concave lens are formed from silicon disposed above the silicon dioxide layer.

6. The optical phased array of claim 3 wherein said plurality of optical signal emitting elements are formed in a silicon dioxide layer formed above a semiconductor substrate, and wherein said plurality of lenses and the convex lens are formed from silicon disposed above the silicon dioxide layer.

7. The optical phased array of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of optical signal emitting elements receives an optical signal generated by a same source.

8. A method of generating a far-field radiation pattern, the method comprising:
generating a plurality of optical signals each from a different one of a plurality of optical signal emitting elements;
directing the plurality of optical signals toward a plurality of lenses each associated with a different one of the plurality of optical signal emitting elements and positioned to form an image of the associated optical signal emitting element, wherein at least a first one of the plurality of optical signal emitting elements is a grating coupler_and
positioning a concave lens away from the plurality of signal emitting elements and the plurality of lenses.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein each of at least a subset of the plurality of lenses is formed from silicon.

10. A method of generating a far-field radiation pattern, the method comprising:
generating a plurality of optical signals each from a different one of a plurality of optical signal emitting elements;
directing the plurality of optical signals toward a plurality of lenses each associated with a different one of the plurality of optical signal emitting elements and positioned to form an image of the associated optical signal emitting element, wherein at least a first one of the plurality of optical signal emitting elements is a grating coupler; and
positioning a convex lens away from the plurality of signal emitting elements and the plurality of lenses.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said plurality of optical signal emitting elements are formed in a silicon dioxide layer formed above a semiconductor substrate and said plurality of lenses are formed from silicon disposed above the silicon dioxide layer.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein said plurality of optical signal emitting elements are formed in a silicon dioxide layer formed above a semiconductor substrate, and wherein said plurality of lenses and the convex lens are formed from silicon disposed above the silicon dioxide layer.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said plurality of optical signal emitting elements are formed in a silicon dioxide layer formed above a semiconductor substrate, and wherein said plurality of lenses and the concave lens are formed from silicon disposed above the silicon dioxide layer.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising supplying an optical signal to each of the plurality of optical signal emitting from a same optical signal source.

Assignees

• California Inst Of Techn

Inventors

• Aflatouni Firooz
• Hajimiri Seyed Ali

Classifications

• G02F1/292 Primary

  by controlled diffraction or phased-array beam steering (controlled diffraction for optical switching G02F1/31) · CPC title

• G02F1/293

  by another light beam, i.e. opto-optical deflection · CPC title

• G02F2203/24

  beam steering · CPC title