Daniel A. Goldman

Free-space optical communication (FSOC) systems require precise pointing, acquisition, and tracking to send and receive optical beams for effective operation. In a lens-assisted beam steering (LABS) system, light is steered by controlling the emission location in a focal plane. The emitted light is directed into the scene by a lens, like a camera but operating in reverse. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel free-space optical communication link using a micro-opto-electro-mechanical-system (MOEMS) based photonic integrated circuit (PIC) for LABS between multiple receive locations. The MOEMS PIC operates via selective electrical actuation of an array of small grating switches (30 μm x 30 μm footprint, 100 μm pitch). Data rates up to 10 Gbps and a 3 dB optical bandwidth covering the infrared C and L bands (1530 nm to 1625 nm) are measured over a 1 m free-space link distance. Eye diagrams indicate a quality communication link for data rates up to 10 Gbps and bit-error-rates < 10-10 are measured for on-off keying (OOK) modulation. A measured beam profile is propagated into the far-field via simulation, and used to calculate link budgets for example CubeSat crosslink and downlink scenarios. Link budget calculations indicate potential > 1 Gbps CubeSat FSOC crosslinks for link lengths > 1000 km and 1 W of input optical power, using identical 90 mm transmit and receive apertures and a commercially-available fiber-coupled InGaAs avalanche photodiode (APD) receive detector.

Novel polysilicon grating switches are demonstrated, consisting of an optical grating suspended on a moving platform above a waveguide. Electrostatic attraction pulls the grating into close proximity to the waveguide, ejecting light out of the waveguide plane. The switches move only 0.9 to 1.4 μm, and have MHz mechanical resonant frequencies, making them robust to mechanical vibration and shock. These switches enable a new mode of LiDAR imaging; by creating a focal plane array of switches, and coupling it with a standard camera lens, the LiDAR beam can be scanned across the scene with high speed and arbitrary pattern. Both time of flight and coherent ranging techniques are compatible with this approach. We have demonstrated a 10x 10 pixel array of these switches in a LiDAR system, collecting 3D raging data at up to 15 meters away and 5 frames per second, over a 1 degree field of view with 0.1 degree resolution. Additionally, we have shown the switches to be robust, efficient, and reliable, actuating at 15 Volts, with speeds faster than 4 μs, for over 9 billion cycles without degradation or failure. [2020-0132]

We describe high efficiency thin-film InP solar cells that utilize a periodic array of TiO₂ nanocylinders. These nanophotonic resonators are found to reduce the solar-weighted average reflectivity of an InP solar cell to ~1.3%, outperforming the best double-layer antireflection coatings. The coupling between Mie scattering resonances and thin-film interference effects accurately describes the optical enhancement provided by the nanocylinders. The spectrally resolved reflectivity and J-V characteristics of the device under AM1.5G illumination are determined via coupled optical and electrical simulations, resulting in a predicted power conversion efficiency > 23%. We conclude that the nanostructured coating reduces reflection without negatively affecting the electronic properties of the InP solar cell by separating the nanostructured optical components from the active layer of the device.