Optical Phased Arrays with Sub-Wavelength Element Size and Spacing (OPA-SWESS)

This program sought to develop the technologies necessary to demonstrate planar, millimeter-scale, transmit and receive, nonmechanical beam steering optical phased arrays. The objective was to develop optical-array-element integrated photonic circuit unit cells with high fill-factor apertures. These cells should be amenable to scaling, thus enabling the assembly of larger higher-power coherent apertures. The scope of this effort is to advance integrated phase shifters in a silicon photonics unit cell component to improve on the performance of the bulk photonic devices currently used in optical beamforming systems.