Design and Implementation of Optical True Time Delay in Optically Controlled Phased Array Antennas

The applications and the advantages of the optical electronic techniques in wideband and wide-angle phased array radar are introduced. Based on the physical model of optically controlled phased array, this paper analyses the working principle of optically controlled phased array antennas (OCPAA) in detail. Then a design example is given. According to the different pulse compression results of a linear phased array with 32 antenna elements, the optimization of OTTD number can be chosen. A design of 4-bit OTTD based on binary delay fiber lines and optical switches is given. The main performances of OTTD which affect the array antennas system are discussed.