Development of an integrated photonic beamformer for electronically-steered Ku-band phased array antenna

Currently an integrated photonic beamformer for electronically-steered Ku-band phased array antenna (PAA) system for satellite communications is being developed within a Dutch Point One R&D Innovation Project “Broadband Satellite Communication Services on High-Speed Transport Vehicles‿, targeting instantaneous reception of the full Ku-band (10.7-12.75 GHz), squint-free and seamless beam steering, and polarization agility. The use of integrated photonic beamformer enables an antenna system with multi-gigahertz instantaneous bandwidth, compact form factor, light weight, and large beam scanning range, which are challenging requirements for beamformers using only electronics-based RF technologies. An important aspect tackled in this project is to reduce the system cost such that it is commercially suitable for civil purposes in mobile satellite communications, particularly in aeronautic/avionic satellite communications where a low profile and light weight are essential requirements for the antenna system