Aperiodic optical phased array with wide field of view and high sidelobe suppression ratio based on SiN-on-SOI platform

This paper presents an aperiodic optical phased array (OPA) based on a dual-layer emission grating on a SiN-on-SOI platform. The dual-layer grating offers advantages in terms of integration process feasibility and large process tolerance. A particle swarm optimization algorithm was employed to optimize the emission array. The proposed OPA demonstrates a wide field of view (FOV) and high sidelobe suppression ratio (SLSR). Experimental verification was performed on an 8-inch silicon photonics integration manufacturing platform capable of industrial production, and the device performance matched well with simulation results. The test results indicate that the OPA achieved a FOV of 150° × 16° with a divergence angle of 0.022° × 0.060°. The overall optimal SLSR was 10.3 dB, with a minimum SLSR of 3.7 dB across the entire field of view. Furthermore, the OPA was used in frequency modulation continuous wave system to achieve a distance measurement of 40 m.