Coherence artifacts suppression in integrated photonic systems
An optical phased array includes, in part, a multitude of receiving elements arranged along N rows and M columns, and a controller configured to activate a first subset of the receiving elements during a first time interval to capture first data representative of a first image of a target, to activate a second subset of the receiving elements during a second time interval to capture second data representative of a second image of the target, and to combine the first and second data to generate the image of the target. The first and second subsets may share common receiving elements. The controller may be further configured to compute an average of the first and second data to generate the image of the target. The first subset may represent a subset of the M columns.
1. An optical phased array comprising:
a plurality of receiving elements arranged along N rows and M columns; and
a controller configured to:
activate a first subset of the receiving elements during a first time interval to capture first data representative of a first image of a target;
activate a second subset of the receiving elements during a second time interval to capture second data representative of a second image of the target; and
combine the first and second data to generate a third image of the target.
2. The optical phased array of claim 1 wherein said first and second subsets share common receiving elements.
3. The optical phased array of claim 2 wherein said controller is further configured to compute an average of the first and second data to generate the third image of the target.
4. The optical phased array of claim 1 wherein said first subset represents a subset of the M columns.
5. The optical phased array of claim 4 wherein said second subset represents a second subset of the M columns different from the first subset, and wherein at least one of the M columns is common to both the first and second subsets.
6. The optical phased array of claim 5 wherein said first subset includes the N rows.
7. The optical phased array of claim 1 wherein said first subset represents a subset of the N rows.
8. The optical phased array of claim 7 wherein said second subset represents a second subset of the N rows different from the first subset, and wherein at least one of the N rows is common to both the first and second subsets.
9. The optical phased array of claim 8 wherein said first subset includes the M columns.
10. The optical phased array of claim 1 wherein said first and second time intervals are non-overlapping time intervals.
11. The optical phased array of claim 1 wherein said optical phased array is integrated in a semiconductor substrate.
12. A method of forming an image of a target, the method comprising:
activating a first subset of the receiving elements of an optical phased array during a first time interval to capture first data representative of a first image of a target;
activating a second subset of the receiving elements of the optical phased array during a second time interval to capture second data representative of a second image of a target; and
combining the first and second data to generate a third image of the target.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein said first and second subsets share common receiving elements.
14. The method wherein 13 further comprising:
computing an average of the first and second data to generate the third image of the target.
15. The method of claim 12 wherein said first subset represents a subset of the M columns.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein said second subset represents a second subset of the M columns different from the first subset, and wherein at least one of the M columns is common to both the first and second subsets.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said first subset includes the N rows.
18. The method of claim 12 wherein said first subset represents a subset of the N rows.
19. The method 18 wherein said second subset represents a second subset of the N rows different from the first subset, and wherein at least one of the N rows is common to both the first and second subsets.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein said first subset includes the M columns.
21. The method of claim 11 wherein said first and second time intervals are non-overlapping time intervals.
22. The method of claim 11 wherein said optical phased array is integrated in a semiconductor substrate.
23. An optical phased array comprising:
a first transmitting element having a first polarization and adapted to transmit a first optical signal along the first polarization direction toward a target;
a second transmitting element having a second polarization and adapted to transmit a second optical signal along the second polarization direction toward the target;
a first receiving element having the first polarization and adapted to receive the first optical signal reflected off the target; and
a second receiving element having the second polarization and adapted to receive the second optical signal reflected off the target; and
a controller configured to form an image of the target in accordance with the first and second received optical signals.
24. An optical phased array comprising:
a first transmitter to generate a first illumination pattern on a target;
a second transmitter to generate a second illumination pattern on the target;
a receiver array that collects light reflected off the target in response to the first and second illumination patterns; and
a controller configured to operate the first and second transmitters during first and second non-overlapping time intervals thereby to form an image of the target by combining outputs of the receiver.
25. The optical phased array of claim 24 wherein said first transmitter includes an array of transmitting elements.
26. The optical phased array of claim 25 wherein said second transmitter includes an array of transmitting elements.
27. The optical phased array of claim 25 wherein said receiver includes an array of receiving elements.
28. The optical phased array of claim 27 wherein said second transmitter includes an array of transmitting elements.
29. The optical phased array of claim 24 wherein said optical phased array is integrated in a semiconductor substrate.
30. An optical phased array comprising of:
an array of transmitting elements each adapted to illuminate a target with an optical signal;
a receiver array adapted to receive the optical signals reflected off the target;
a controller configured to:
vary a phase and an amplitude of the signal transmitted by each transmitting element thereby to cause the transmitting elements to generate a first illumination pattern during a first time interval and a second illumination pattern during the second time interval, said first and second time intervals being non-overlapping time intervals; and
combine the optical signals received by the receiver array during the first and second time intervals to form an image of the target.
31. The optical phased array of claim 30 whereon said optical phased array is integrated in a semiconductor substrate.