Photonic integrated circuit-based imaging system for SPIDER

The Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center and the University of California at Davis (UC Davis) has developed an interferometric imaging system based on photonic integrated circuits (PICs). This approach could enable a new hardware architecture with a 10× to 100× reduction in size and weight compared to traditional imaging systems, particularly targeted for space applications. The current PIC design consists of a three-layer system of waveguides, arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs) and multi-mode interferometers (MMIs) that link 12 interferometric baselines to measure the phase and amplitude of the mutual intensity of an extended object. A series of lenslets couple light into 24 input waveguides on one edge of the PIC. On the opposite side there are 206 interferometer output ports that provide the fringe data for creating images. In this paper we will describe the photonic integrated circuit design and the testbed used to create the first images of extended scenes. We will also summarize the image reconstruction steps and present the final images.