Patent ID: 11953678
Assignee: ANALOG PHOTONICS LLC
Field: Telecommunications (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  H | IPC G  H

Claim 13:
14. A method for aberration correction of an optical phased array (OPA), the method comprising:
providing light to an array of antennas, said array of antennas defining an overall aperture of the OPA, and two or more of the antennas each comprising a waveguide and at least one antenna emitter structure, where at least two of the waveguides receive light from an optical distribution network;
operating a plurality of individually operable phase shifters positioned outside of the overall aperture, each one of the phase shifters positioned in an optical path at the entrance to a waveguide, said waveguide including a plurality of antenna emitter structures;
determining any variations in characteristics of the waveguides;
determining from the determined variations in waveguide characteristics a spatially-varying optical path difference (OPD) or a spatially-varying optical phase shift to be applied to sub-apertures within an overall aperture of the OPA such that a predetermined far-field emission pattern of the OPA is achieved; and
applying the spatially-varying OPD or optical phase shift to the aperture using a plurality of index-modifying elements underlying the OPA, each one of the index-modifying elements associated with a particular sub-aperture, and each one of the index-modifying elements operable to modify at least one of the OPD or optical phase shift of the sub-aperture with which it is associated; and
wherein at least one antenna emitter structure of the plurality of antenna emitter structures is positioned in a different sub-aperture from another antenna emitter structure of the same waveguide.