Phased-array beam steering using optical true time delay technique

• This study proposes an optical TTD system for a 1×2-element PAA that uses a HDCF passive device and a wavelength tunable laser.
• The time delay and the radiation pattern for the proposed system are verified by simulation and by experimental measurement.
• It is found that the HDCF gives true time delay in the angle in which the beam is steered.
• The measured results are found to be in reasonable agreement with the data from simulation.
• The excellent radiation patterns demonstrate that the proposed system is eminently suitable for beam-steering applications.

An optical dispersion technique for phased-array beam steering is proposed and analyzed. Optical true time delay using a high-dispersion compensation fiber (HDCF) and a phased array antenna (PAA) can provide a continuous radio-frequency squint-free beam scanning. When the dispersion of the fabricated DCF-C band is as high as −1020±31 ps/nm/km, the laser wavelength can be tuned from 1549.95 to 1550.2 nm. The experimental results confirmed that the scanning angle of far field radiation patterns for proposed technique can be tuned to have a range 51° (from −22° to +29° ) at frequency of 5.9, 12.7 and 17 GHz.