Power balance and control in optically controlled phased array antenna, based on optical true time delay

There is clear difference in each fiber-optic link’s power output, in the large scale optically controlled phased array antenna. In order to realize the optical power balance and control between the various channels, the equilibrium or control power of each optical signal needs to be considered, and it will reduce the optical beam forming network generated side-lobe beam, which results in the performance improvement of the system. In this paper, the methods of optical power equalization and control is proposed, which is used in the forming network of the optical beam. The method can realize the optical power’s equalization and control of each optical signal. In the end of this paper, the verification and results are provided. © Zhou et al.