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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.19977 |
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Table of Contents:
- Optical phased array (OPA) is a promising technology for compact, solid-state beam steering, with applications ranging from free-space optical communication to LiDAR. However, simultaneously achieving a large field of view (FOV), high resolution, and low side-lobe level (SLL) remains a major challenge. Traditional OPAs face inherent limitations: they exhibit grating lobes when emitter spacing exceeds half the operating wavelength, while at half-wavelength spacing, significant crosstalk issues persist. Previously, we demonstrated a small-scale OPA that harnesses near-field interference and beamforming via a trapezoidal slab grating and a half-wavelength-pitch waveguide array to achieve a 180° FOV. However, its resolution was limited by the small channel count. In this work, we present a 1000-channel OPA that scales this architecture while addressing key challenges in waveguide crosstalk and control complexity. By optimizing waveguide routing, we minimize inter-channel coupling in the dense waveguide array. Additionally, we propose and demonstrate a passive matrix control scheme using 20 row and 50 column pulse-width modulation (PWM) signals to arbitrarily control 1000 thermo-optic phase shifters, significantly simplifying the electronic control and packaging. Our OPA achieves grating-lobe-free beam steering across a full 180° FOV, with a high resolution of 0.07° * 0.17° and a minimum SLL of -18.7 dB at 0°. This large-scale, cost-effective chip-based OPA paves the way for next-generation high-resolution, wide-angle beam steering systems.