Integrated Optical-Phased Array Nanoantenna System Using a Plasmonic Rotman Lens

An integrated linear optical-phased array with five switchable beams at a spacing of 15° operating at the standard telecommunication wavelength of 1.55 μm is proposed, and numerically studied. To realize the desired phase shift between adjacent antenna elements, a plasmonic Rotman lens is designed. In order to conduct power into a selected input port, a graphene-based power splitter with switchable output is proposed. The antenna array is composed of six plasmonic nanoantennas designed in compatibility with the feeding plasmonic waveguides. The proposed integrated system can be used for applications such as optical wireless communication, interand intrachip optical interconnects, and low-cost integrated LIDAR systems.