OPTICAL CONTROL TYPE PHASED ARRAY ANTENNA

摘要

An optical control type phased array antenna which provides a high antenna radial beam scanning angle resolution and requires a short optical system, and which is provided with a plurality of photoelectric converters that emit, into a space, beams of signal light and local light detuned at a microwave frequency, spatially sample and heterodyne-detect, for conversion into microwave signals, synthesized light beams each formed by spatially superimposing a signal light beam on a local light beam that are modulated by a spatial optical modulator and passed through a Fourier transform lens, and feed the microwave signals to respective antenna elements in the array antenna, wherein the antenna is further provided with a beam expanding optical system for expanding the synthesized light beams so as to control the focal distance of the Fourier transform lens to be shorter.