Blass Matrix-Based Optical Beamforming Network for Single- and Multi-Beam Operation on a Silicon Nitride Photonic Integrated Circuit

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This work presents the first experimental system evaluation of a hybrid-integrated 4×4 optical beamforming network (OBFN) based on the Blass Matrix architecture employing modulated microwave signals, evaluating the capability of generation and steering of one (single-beam) and two (multi-beam) independent beams. The OBFN-PIC is realized by combining the silicon nitride photonic integration platform of LioniX Int., known as TriPleX with indium phosphide (InP). Its architecture includes a splitting stage implemented with cascaded tunable Mach-Zehnder Interferometers (MZIs), a modulation stage comprising of InP phase modulators (PMs), a 4x4 Blass Matrix beamforming network, and a filtering and carrier re-insertion (CRI) stage using four asymmetric ring-assisted Mach-Zehnder interferometer (RAMZI) filters. Under the assumption that the OBFN-PIC is integrated into a downlink wireless communication system, feeding a 4-element antenna array, single-beam functionality is validated using both pure sinusoidal and modulated signals at 12 GHz, with QPSK and 16-QAM formats at symbol rates up to 1 Gbaud. The evaluation includes beam steering over a 30°–150° angular range, employing error-vector-magnitude (EVM) and bit-error-ratio (BER) performance metrics at the received signal, that confirm error-free performance. Multi-beam functionality is demonstrated by simultaneously generating two independent beams at either 5 GHz or 12 GHz, as well as under a dual-frequency scenario combining both, with varying modulation parameters. A Gaussian excitation profile is applied when sidelobe suppression is required to reduce inter-beam interference. In all examined scenarios, error-free communication is suggested, verifying the suitability of the proposed photonic beamforming architecture for dynamic and scalable wireless communication systems.

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