Two-dimensional optical phased array antenna on silicon-on-insulator

Optical wireless links can offer a very large bandwidth and can act as a complementary technology to radio-frequency links. However, optical components nowadays are rather bulky. Therefore, we have investigated the potential of silicon photonics to fabricate integrated components for wireless optical communication. This paper presents a two-dimensional phased array antenna consisting of grating couplers that couple light off-chip. Wavelength steering of 0.24 degrees/nm is presented, reducing the need of active phase modulators. The required steering range is 1.5 degrees. The 3dB angular coverage range of these antennas is 0.007 pi sr with a directivity of more than 38dBi and antenna losses smaller than 3dB. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America