Two-Dimensional Dispersive Off-Chip Beam Scanner Fabricated on Silicon-On-Insulator

One of the key elements in optical wireless applications such as laser scanning and writing is beam steering. While beam steering can be done actively using mirrors or liquid crystals, we have taken a passive approach to steer a beam in two dimensions by wavelength tuning. Therefore, we have fabricated an integrated two-dimensional beam steerer using silicon-on-insulator. The beam width is around 4.0 degrees and can be steered in a range of 15 degrees x 50 degrees for a wavelength shift of 100 nm. The beam width and range can be further optimized by changing the grating structure and size of the component.