Design of 1×16 optical phased array in 45-nm SOI CMOS

We present a 1×16 optical phased array (OPA) in state-of-the-art 45-nm SOI CMOS technology for free-space optical communication and imaging. Width and grating period of the antenna is optimized to have longitudinal radiation angle of 10˚ and radiation efficiency of 35.3 % at an operating wavelength of 1310 nm. To reduce insertion loss of the OPA, a thermo-optic phase shifter based on n-i-n junction is used. The proposed OPA has been fabricated in 45-nm electronic-photonic process from GlobalFoundries, which is intended to fabricate both integrated photonics and electronics. Far-field measurement result shows 1-D two-sided beam-steering angle of 34.3˚ in transversal direction and full-width half-maximum beam-width of 3.7˚.