Optimization of optical phased array antenna with grating array superlattice

We propose a near half-wavelength one-dimensional (1-D) optical phased array (OPA) antenna based on a superlattice structure design approach which overcomes conventional crosstalk problems and offers high resolution broadband beam steering while preserving a small footprint size. The performance of the OPA have been optimized by investigating the parameters of the strip gratings, including grating depth, grating period and number of antennas. Results show that the proposed OPA can steer 130 degrees in the longitudinal axis with a divergence beam width of 2.52 degrees at the main lobe for 33 grating elements. This provides 52 resolution points which achieves a 44% improvement over recent 1-D superlattice gratings array antenna system.