Dispersive silicon–nitride optical phased array incorporating arrayed waveguide delay lines for passive line beam scanning

As optical phased arrays (OPAs), used as solid-state beam scanning elements, swiftly stride towards higher efficiency and faster scanning speed, the line beam scanner is emerging as a viable substitute for its counterpart relying on point-beam-incorporated raster scanning. However, line-beam scanners require active phase shifters for beam scanning; thus, they consume more power and have complex device designs. This study proposes and demonstrates a dispersive silicon–nitride OPA that allows for passive wavelength-tuned steering of a line beam with an elongated vertical beamwidth. To steer the line beam passively covering the two-dimensional field of view, we deployed an array of delay lines with progressive delay lengths across adjacent channels. Furthermore, adiabatic tapers that allow precise effective array aperture adjustment are used as emitter elements to flexibly realize different vertical beamwidths. Combinations of different delay-length differences and taper tip-widths resulted in beam coverage (lateral × vertical) ranging from 6.3° × 19° to 23.8° × 40° by tuning the wavelength from 1530 to 1600 nm. The main lobe emission throughput was as small as − 2.8 dB. To the best of our knowledge, the embodied OPA is the first demonstration of a passive line beam scanner facilitating an adjustable beam coverage with quick operation and enhanced efficiency.