Synthesizing silicon photonics enabled mems based focal plane switch array for coherent beam steering sensor

Abstract

Silicon photonics is a rapidly advancing field that uses silicon as the newlinebase material to create optical waveguides, modulators, switches, and other newlinephotonic devices. These devices have the potential to be integrated with newlinecomplementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, which is the newlinefoundation of modern electronic devices, to create compact, low-power, and newlinehigh-performance photonic systems. Microelectromechanical systems newline(MEMS) technology, on the other hand, allows for precise control of newlinemechanical motion, making it a natural choice for the integration of photonics newlineand mechanics. One notable device that combines silicon photonics newlinewaveguides and MEMS technology is the focal-plane-switch array, which uses newlinea 2-dimensional array of micro-mirrors actuated by MEMS actuators to change newlinethe direction of light in real-time. This device is of great interest for a wide newlinerange of applications such as data center optical switching, LIDAR, remote newlinesensing, and autonomous vehicles. The integration of optical components on a newlinesilicon substrate is becoming a viable option for various applications, especially newlinein the field of optical switching. This integration has the potential to newlinerevolutionize the way optical signals are routed and processed, particularly in newlinedata centers and navigation systems. Silicon photonics (SiP) enabled sensors newlineand switches are capable of pre-processing and transferring data faster than newlinelight with minimal latency. newline