Chip-Based Microwave-Photonic Radar for High-Resolution Imaging

Radar is the only sensor that can realize target imaging at all time and all weather, which would be a key technical enabler for future intelligent society. Poor resolution and large size are the two critical issues for radar to gain ground in civil applications. Conventional electronic radars are difficult to address due to both issues, especially in the Ka band or lower. In this work, a chip-based microwave-photonic radar based on silicon photonic platform, which can implement high-resolution imaging with very small footprint, is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Both the wideband signal generator and the de-chirp receiver are integrated on the chip. A broadband microwave-photonic imaging radar occupying the full Ku band is experimentally established. A high-precision range measurement with a resolution of 2.7 cm and an error of less than 2.75 mm is obtained. Inverse synthetic aperture imaging of multiple targets with complex profiles is also implemented.