Design for Si3N4-Si double-layer planar grating optical phased array with mode multiplexing

In recent years, the demand for high-resolution, highly integrated, and low-cost three-dimensional intelligent sensors in fields such as autonomous driving has been continuously increasing. Optical phased arrays (OPA), with their integration, high beam scanning rate, and excellent reliability, have gradually become one of the hot research topics in the LiDAR field. Here, we propose a mode-multiplexed OPA system. Two longitudinal vertical modes use the same one-dimensional double-layer planar grating as a single emission source to achieve beam steering. The results show that a 97 deg×30 deg beam scan is achieved in the field of view, and the wavelength tuning efficiency is as high as 0.3 deg/nm, which provides ideas for the development of OPAs in the LiDAR systems.