Photonic 60-GHz maximum directivity beam former for smart antennas in mobile broad-band communications

Experiments are described using a photonic beam former to control a 60-GHz smart antenna. The 60-GHz signals are generated by optical heterodyning the waves of two laser diodes. Beam forming is achieved by new photonic planar lightwave circuits in silica technology. The beam former enables individual weighting of the millimeter-wave signals feeding the antenna elements. The required weights for a desired field distribution are calculated using the maximum directivity beam-forming algorithm.