Ultra-wideband Optically Addressed Transmitting Phased Array

In this paper we present an ultra-wideband optically addressed transmitting phased array antenna, consisting of ultra-wideband and tunable RF synthesizer, optically addressed phase feeding network, and high-speed photodetector integrated wideband antenna array. RF source generation and optical feed network are capable of cover the frequency range up to 50GHz. A set of 4x4 antenna arrays, such as horn and patch antennas in Ka band are designed, fabricated and characterized, ready for the further integration to the 1x4 ultra-wideband transmitting array system. The array is designed to able to sweep over +/- 30 degrees from the broadside. Embedded electronic control is developed for both RF synthesizer and optical feed network control. The system is consolidated into a portable cart for field test.