US 11,703,739 B2
System and method for calibrating PIC-based optical phased array transmitter and receiver
Richard L. Kendrick, San Mateo, CA (US); and Joseph Marron, Manhattan Beach, CA (US)
Assigned to Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA (US)
Filed by Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA (US)
Filed on Jan. 15, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/150,797.
Prior Publication US 2022/0229343 A1, Jul. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. G02F 1/29 (2006.01); G02F 1/295 (2006.01)
CPC G02F 1/2955 (2013.01) [G02F 2203/69 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
illuminating a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) of a transmit aperture of a laser communication terminal and a PIC of a receive aperture of the laser communication terminal with multi-wavelength light, each PIC comprising multiple antenna elements forming an optical phased array (OPA);
determining light intensities of different wavelengths of the multi-wavelength light after the multi-wavelength light has passed through each PIC starting from the multiple antenna elements;
estimating phases of light associated with the antenna elements based on variations in the light intensities; and
adjusting one or more phase shifters of at least one of the PICs based on the estimated phases of light.