Hybrid integrated silicon nitride optical phased array with phase calibration for two-dimensional beam steering.

This study introduces a hybrid, integrated two-dimensional multi-layer optical phased array architecture that is characterized by its compactness, low loss, high performance, and versatility. It is suitable for applications ranging from space communication to sensor integration. We have delineated the essential requirements for cost-effective, miniaturized, and widely applicable heterostructure silicon photonics and highlighted the benefits of this architectural approach. Our research demonstrates the key technologies underpinning the hybrid integrated optical phased array architecture, such as efficient multi-level conical waveguides, low-scattering interlayer couplers, compact cross waveguides, and sector-structured grating antennas. We have also showcased the phase calibration technology of optical phased arrays, which leverages deep reinforcement learning and have achieved two-dimensional beam steering using this on-chip silicon photonics platform, thereby confirming the algorithm's superiority. A pre-prepared optical phased array (OPA) utilizing thermal-optic (TO) phase control has achieved a field-of-view of in both horizontal and vertical directions. The proposed hybrid integrated platform holds the potential to enable low-power and high-speed beam steering capabilities.