Abstract

In this paper, we propose a novel photonic true-time delay beamforming system for phased array antennas. The system relies on tunable delay lines which are based on Mach–Zehnder delay interferometers (MZDIs) with tunable coupling ratio. As the MZDIs are implemented on the polarization domain, a single optical source and a single piece of polarization maintaining fiber are required. The proposed implementation is theoretically assessed and beam squinting is investigated by simulation. A proof-of-concept experiment that validates the operation principle of the proposed delay lines is presented.

© 2010 IEEE

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