Integrated optical beam steering system

An optical waveguiding structure, comprising:

• a photonic crystal nanostructure comprising a plurality of nanoelements at least partially arranged in a lattice configuration and having one or more input surfaces and a concave output surface, parameters of the nanoelements being selected to give rise to a photonic bandgap for a predetermined range of wavelengths in which there is no propagating mode;
• a plurality of waveguides disposed in the nanostructure, wherein each waveguide comprises a negative space formed by an absence of nanoelements in the lattice along a path to generate a propagating band within the photonic bandgap;
• a plurality of inputs to the respective plurality of waveguides, the inputs being disposed on the one or more input surfaces of the nanostructure wherein light in the propagating band received at an input propagates in a respective waveguide in total internal reflection;
• and
• a plurality of outputs from the respective plurality of waveguides,
• wherein one or more of the waveguides include paths having curved portions, and each of the waveguide paths is located in the nanostructure such that each of the outputs is configured normal to the concave output surface.