Fiber-coupled phased array of photonic integrated circuit imagers
AssigneeLockheed Martin Corporation
InventorsChad Elliott Ogden, Guy Chriqui, Gregory Samuel Feller
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Abstract
A fiber-coupled phased-array includes a first photonic integrated circuit (PIC) and a second PIC. The first PIC includes a first set of lenslets and waveguides. The second PIC includes a second set of lenslets and waveguides and is placed at a distance from the first PIC. The optical fibers couple the first PIC to the second PIC and form an interferometric imager that can sample spatial frequencies of a target. Optical delay errors induced by a relative placement of the first PIC and the second PIC are compensated for.
Claims20
A fiber-coupled phased-array comprising:
- a first photonic integrated circuit (PIC) including a first set of lenslets and waveguides;
- a second PIC including a second set of lenslets and waveguides and placed at a distance from the first PIC;
- and
- a plurality of optical fibers coupling the first PIC to the second PIC to form an interferometric imager configured to sample spatial frequencies of a target,
- wherein optical delay errors induced by a relative placement of the first PIC and the second PIC are compensated for.
A multi-photonic integrated circuit (PIC) interferometric phased array, the phased array comprising:
- a plurality of PICs placed at a distance from one another and coupled to one another using optical fibers;
- and
- an optical metrology system configured to measure optical delay errors induced by a relative placement of the plurality of PICs, wherein:
- a combination of the plurality of PICs comprises groups of lenslet pairs and corresponding coupling waveguides and form an interferometric imager,
- the interferometric imager is configured to sample spatial frequencies of a target with a high spatial-frequency resolution defined by a separation between a lenslet pair having a largest distance across the plurality of PICs.
A method of providing an interferometric phased array, the method comprising:
- coupling a plurality of PICs together by using optical fibers, the plurality of PICs being placed at a distance from one another;
- configuring an optical metrology system to measure optical delay errors induced by a relative placement of the plurality of PICs;
- and
- configuring an interferometric imager formed by a combination of the plurality of PICs to sample spatial frequencies of a target with a spatial-frequency resolution,
- wherein the spatial-frequency resolution is defined by a separation between a lenslet pair having a largest distance across the plurality of PICs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.