Programmable RF photonic phase shifters based on FD-OP for optically controlled beamforming

Programmable RF photonic phase shifter that can achieve a full 360° phase shift with little RF signal amplitude variation and low phase noise (PN) is presented. It is based on a two-dimensional (2D) Fourier-domain optical processor (FD-OP) which comprises an array liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) pixels to control the amplitude and phase of the spectral components by programming. It can realize multiple photonic RF phase shifters simultaneously applied in optical controlled phased array antennas. Experimental results show the RF phase shifter can achieve a continuous 0-360° phase shift with low amplitude variation of <2.5 dB and a phase deviation of <2° at 15 GHz.