US 12,261,645 B2
Multi-node, multi-stream photonic integrated circuit-based free-space optical communication device
Stephen P. Palese, Redondo Beach, CA (US)
Assigned to Raytheon Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA (US)
Filed on Jul. 8, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/811,565.
Prior Publication US 2024/0372623 A1, Nov. 7, 2024
Int. Cl. H04B 10/50 (2013.01); H04B 10/11 (2013.01)
CPC H04B 10/503 (2013.01) [H04B 10/11 (2013.01); H04B 10/506 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
a photonic integrated circuit comprising an optical phased array, the optical phased array comprising multiple unit cells, each unit cell comprising an antenna element configured to transmit or receive optical signals, wherein the unit cells are grouped into multiple supercells and each supercell includes multiple unit cells;
multiple optical pathways configured to modify the optical signals transmitted or received by the optical phased array, wherein different ones of the optical pathways are controllable to support transmission or reception of different optical signals in different directions; and
multiple switches configured to receive multiple input beams having different wavelengths and selectively control which of the input beams is provided to the multiple optical pathways;
wherein the switches are configurable in a first operational mode to allow one of the input beams to be used to drive all of the supercells in the photonic integrated circuit; and
wherein the switches are configurable in a second operational mode to allow different ones of the input beams to be used to drive different supercells or different collections of supercells in the photonic integrated circuit.