Monolithic high-power QCL-based photonic integrated circuits for two-dimensional beam steering

TransWave Photonics, LLC in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin, proposes to demonstrate a mid-infrared 2-dimensional beam-steering photonic integrated circuit (PIC) with a passive InGaAs/InP platform where high performance mid infrared quantum cascade laser sources, low-loss InGaAs waveguides, and beam steering photonic elements are monolithically integrated. Low mid-infrared optical loss (<1 dB/cm) of the undoped InGaAs waveguide core and undoped InP cladding layers in the passive waveguides will enable low-loss light propagation and integration of multiple elements to achieve all-electrical beam steering operation. Our proposed beam steering microchip is expected to achieve horizontal beam steering larger than +/-18 degrees and vertical beam steering larger than +/- 25 degrees with a diffraction limited beam delivering more than 1-watt continuous-wave output power. In Phase 1, the proposing team will demonstrate the feasibility of the key innovations in the proposed PIC.