Study on the characteristics of novel optical phased array based on wave-guide

A novel scheme of optical phased array (OPA) based on wave-guide was represented in this paper. Fiber paths was main design of system, the single mode fibers were used as transmission paths, photonic crystal fibers (PCF) were adopted as the output array, LiNbO₃ wave-guide was used as the phase modulator. The system configuration was given, performance of main device such as LiNbO₃ wave-guide and PCF array were analyzed. According to the theory of OPA and electro-optical effect of LiNbO₃ wave-guide, the feasibility of system had been demonstrated. By adjusting the phase shift of each LiNbO₃ wave-guide, the beam deflection had been observed. Simulation experiments had been implemented to study the influence of its structure parameter on output diffraction characteristics. The results show that the inter-elements distance, the quantity of fiber core and arrangement of fiber core affect the beam scanning quality including Full Width at Half-Maximum (FWHM), output intensity distribution.