Integrated optical phased arrays (OPAs) have attracted a lot of attention for their ability to outperform mechanical systems by means of cost, space- and power-efficiency, and durability for both near- and far-field applications. LiDAR, optical trapping, and laser-based 3D printing are a few application areas that benefit from small-footprint, high-fill-factor integrated OPAs fabricated in advanced silicon-photonics platforms. Currently, OPA demonstrations have focused solely on dynamic phase control or have included amplitude control at the expense of introducing inefficiencies. In this work, a novel butterfly architecture with cascaded butterfly-shaped pixels which utilize power-recycling is used to achieve in-line independent amplitude and phase control within a compact structure.

The MIT SuperUROP program lets me continue the research that I began with Professor Jelena Notaros 5 semesters ago in a fashion that closely mirrors a graduate student’s experience, thus preparing me to make informed decisions on a possible career in research. As a double major in both Physics and Electrical Engineering, silicon photonics has been a beautiful meeting place between mathematical elegance, and applicable design and experimentation.