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JP-7856711-B2 - Hybrid Optical Phased Array Phase Modulation

JP7856711B2JP 7856711 B2JP7856711 B2JP 7856711B2JP-7856711-B2

Inventors

  • ビロドー，サイモン
  • チェルニー，オンドレイ

Assignees

  • ターラ コネクト，インコーポレイテッド

Dates

Publication Date
20260511
Application Date
20240902
Priority Date
20240723

Claims (20)

  1. An optical communication terminal, wherein the optical communication terminal is Includes an optical phased array (OPA), wherein the OPA is Multiple emitters, A set of phase shifters including a first phase shifter and a second phase shifter, wherein the first phase shifter and the second phase shifter are arranged such that an incident signal is modulated by the first phase shifter at a first update rate and a first tuning range, and then further modulated by the second phase shifter at a second update rate and a second tuning range, wherein the first update rate is different from the second update rate, and the first tuning range is different from the second tuning range. Includes, An optical communication terminal in which the first phase shifter is associated with at least one emitter among the plurality of emitters, and the second phase shifter is associated with at least two emitters among the plurality of emitters.
  2. The optical communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first phase shifter and the second phase shifter are arranged such that the output signal is modulated by the second phase shifter at the second update rate and the second tuning range, and then further modulated by the first phase shifter at the first update rate and the first tuning range.
  3. The optical communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the second phase shifter is associated with at least four of the plurality of emitters.
  4. The optical communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the set of phase shifters further includes a third phase shifter having a third update rate and a third tuning range.
  5. The optical communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein the second tuning range is the same as the third tuning range.
  6. The optical communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein the second update rate is the same as the third update rate.
  7. The optical communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein the first phase shifter, the second phase shifter, and the third phase shifter are arranged such that the output signal is modulated by the third phase shifter at the third update rate and the third tuning range, then further modulated by the second phase shifter at the second update rate and the second tuning range, and then further modulated by the first phase shifter at the first update rate and the first tuning range.
  8. The optical communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein the first phase shifter, the second phase shifter, and the third phase shifter are arranged such that the incident signal is modulated by the first phase shifter at a first update rate and a first tuning range, then further modulated by the second phase shifter at a second update rate and a second tuning range, and then further modulated by the third phase shifter at a third update rate and a third tuning range.
  9. The optical communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the set of phase shifters comprises a plurality of sets of phase shifters, each including a first phase shifter associated with at least one emitter of the second phase shifter associated with at least two emitters among the plurality of emitters.
  10. The optical communication terminal according to claim 9, wherein the first phase shifter among the plurality of sets of phase shifters is arranged in the first layer, and the second phase shifter among the plurality of sets of phase shifters is arranged in the second layer.
  11. The optical communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first tuning range is greater than 2π and the first update rate is on the order of 1 kHz.
  12. The optical communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the second tuning range is less than π, and the second update rate is on the order of 10 kHz or 100 kHz.
  13. The optical communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first phase shifter is a thermal-optical phase shifter.
  14. The optical communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the second phase shifter is a carrier phase shifter.
  15. A method for modulating a signal in an optical phased array (OPA) of an optical communication terminal, wherein the method is In the first phase shifter of the OPA, the signal is modulated at a first update rate and a first tuning range. In the second phase shifter of the OPA, the signal is modulated at a second update rate and a second tuning range, wherein the first update rate is different from the second update rate, and the first tuning range is different from the second tuning range. Includes, A method wherein the first phase shifter is associated with at least one emitter among a plurality of emitters, and the second phase shifter is associated with at least two emitters among the plurality of emitters.
  16. The method for modulating a signal according to claim 15, wherein, when the signal is an incident signal, the modulation in the first phase shifter of the OPA is performed before the modulation in the second phase shifter of the OPA.
  17. The method for modulating a signal according to claim 15, wherein, when the signal is an output signal, the modulation in the second phase shifter of the OPA is performed before the modulation in the first phase shifter of the OPA.
  18. The method for modulating a signal according to claim 15, further comprising modulating the signal in the third phase shifter of the OPA at a third update rate and a third tuning range.
  19. The method for modulating a signal according to claim 18, wherein, when the signal is an incident signal, the modulation in the third phase shifter is performed following the modulation in the first and second phase shifters of the OPA.
  20. The method for modulating a signal according to claim 18, wherein the second update rate is the same as the third update rate.

Description

Cross-reference of related applications [0001] This application claims the benefit as of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/609,398, filed on 13 December 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. background [0002] Wireless optical communication enables high throughput and long-distance communication, for one thing, due to the high gain provided by the narrow angular width of the transmitted beam. However, the narrow beam also requires precise and active pointing to be maintained in alignment with the aperture of the communication terminal at the remote end. This pointing can be achieved by a small mirror that operates to steer the beam (e.g., a MEMS or voice coil-based high-speed steering mirror mechanism). In other implementations, solid-state beam steering without moving parts is used to steer the beam, which provides advantages in terms of cost, lifespan, and performance. Optical phased arrays (OPAs) are an important technological component that adds the advantages of adaptive optics, point-to-multipoint support, and mesh network topology. Each active element in an OPA requires solid-state phase-shift capability. Brief explanation of the drawing [0016] This is a block diagram 100 of a first communication terminal and a second communication terminal according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [0017] Figure 200 shows an exemplary system architecture for the first communication device of Figure 1, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [0018] Features of an OPA architecture shown as an exemplary OPA chip according to an aspect of the present disclosure are described. [0019] This is a diagram of a network according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [0020] This is a block diagram according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [0021] This is a diagram according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [0022] This is a diagram according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [0023] This is a block diagram according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [0024] This is a block diagram according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [0025] This is a block diagram according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [0026] This is a block diagram according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [0027] This is a flowchart according to an aspect of the present disclosure. Detailed Description Summary [0028] This technology relates to an optical phased array (OPA) of phase shifters for an optical communication terminal configured to utilize a hybrid phase modulation technique. The optical communication terminal may be configured for bidirectional communication. The OPA may be included in a photonic integrated circuit (PIC). The hybrid phase modulation technique can enable different modulation or tuning ranges and/or update rates of the transmit (exit) signal and the receive (inject) signal (e.g., an optical communication beam) in different phase shifters of the OPA. In some cases, different types of phase shifters can be used for different tuning ranges and/or update rates. [0029] Generally, OPA phase shifters include the same type of phase shifter having the same update rate and tuning range. Such methods can require complex, large, and expensive structures that lack scalability. For example, phase shifters configured to cover a large tuning range tend to be large in size and tend to require a large set of auxiliary equipment. This can significantly limit the space available for additional components. [0030] To address this, as described above, an OPA can be used that utilizes a hybrid phase modulation technique resulting in phase shifters with different tuning ranges and/or update rates. In this regard, the OPA can leverage the advantages of different tuning techniques while minimizing their disadvantages. For example, thermal tuning has the disadvantages of high power loss and slow update speed, while carrier-based tuning has the disadvantages of tuning-dependent optical loss and low tuning efficiency. In this regard, thermal tuning may be used in conjunction with carrier-based tuning. Another significant advantage of this architecture is the possibility of sharing phase shifters with different tuning techniques among multiple antennas or emitters. Sharing phase shifters reduces system complexity and frees up free space on the PIC for other components, thereby improving scalability. Exemplary system [0031] Figure 1 is a block diagram 100 of a first communication terminal configured to form one or more links with a second communication terminal as part of a system such as a free-space optical communication (FSOC) system. Figure 2 is a picture 200 of an exemplary communication terminal such as the first communication terminal of Figure 1. For example, the first communication terminal 102 includes one or more processors 104, a memory 106, a transceiver photonic integrated chip 112, and an optical phased array (OPA) architecture 114.