Lin Qixuan, Fang Shucheng, Yu Yue, Xi Zichen, Shao Linbo, Li Bingzhao, Li Mo
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Nat Commun. 2025 May 15;16(1):4501. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-59831-x.
Optical beam steering enables optical sensing, imaging, and long-range communication over free space. Despite the inherent speed of light, advanced applications increasingly require simultaneous steering of multiple, independently controlled beams, to enhance imaging throughput, boost communication bandwidth, and control qubit arrays for scalable quantum computing. However, precise multi-beam steering and control remain a significant challenge with current solid-state beam steering technologies, driving the need for integrated and scalable multi-beam steering solutions. Here, we report a scalable multi-beam steering system comprising an array of integrated acousto-optic beam steering channels on a thin-film lithium niobate platform. Each channel generates tens of individually controllable beams at 780 nm with sub-microsecond switching time by exciting acoustic waves using multi-tone microwave signals. We demonstrate the system's unique capabilities through multiple-input, multiple-output free-space communications, simultaneously transmitting to multiple receivers at megabits/sec data rates. This technology is readily scalable to steer hundreds of optical beams from a compact chip, potentially advancing many areas of optical technologies and enabling novel applications.
光束转向可实现自由空间中的光学传感、成像和远程通信。尽管光具有固有的速度，但先进的应用越来越需要同时控制多个独立的光束，以提高成像通量、增加通信带宽并控制用于可扩展量子计算的量子比特阵列。然而，对于当前的固态光束转向技术而言，精确的多光束转向和控制仍然是一项重大挑战，这推动了对集成且可扩展的多光束转向解决方案的需求。在此，我们报告了一种可扩展的多光束转向系统，该系统由薄膜铌酸锂平台上的集成声光光束转向通道阵列组成。每个通道通过使用多音微波信号激发声波，在780纳米波长下以亚微秒级的切换时间产生数十个可单独控制的光束。我们通过多输入多输出自由空间通信展示了该系统的独特能力，能够以兆比特/秒的数据速率同时向多个接收器传输数据。这项技术很容易扩展，可从一个紧凑的芯片中控制数百束光束，有望推动光学技术的许多领域发展并实现新的应用。
