IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society (Jan 2024)
Symmetrical Modular Optical Phased Array With Combined Spatial and Amplitude Modulation for Scalable Indoor Wireless Networks
Abstract
Scalable optical wireless networks are crucial to address the demand for ultra-broadband wireless connectivity in future workspaces and living environments. This study presents a novel theoretical framework for the dual-carrier modular optical phased array (MOPA) architecture, specifically tailored for indoor wireless communication networks. We introduce the non-uniform spherical wave (NUSW) model for a near-field analysis of electromagnetic radiation in a single-carrier MOPA, extending this to dual-carrier configurations. Our analysis demonstrates enhanced beam-focusing capabilities and significant suppression of grating lobes in the dual-carrier system. Expanding on this theoretical model, we perform a comprehensive numerical analysis of a dual-carrier MOPA system installed on a planar ceiling within an indoor room. To quantitatively assess grating lobe suppression, we propose a novel figure-of-merit (FoM) and compare the beam-focusing performance of both single- and dual-carrier MOPA systems. Furthermore, we introduce a new symmetrical excitation mechanism combined with spatial modulation for data symbol encoding within the MOPA architecture. Our results reveal that this approach provides high-level physical layer security (PLS) for wireless communication. By integrating amplitude shift keying (ASK) with spatial modulation, we evaluate the bit error rate (BER) against signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio across different symmetrical excitation scenarios. This evaluation demonstrates that our system achieves efficient digital signal communication with reduced complexity and robust performance under real-world noise conditions. Our findings advance the understanding of optical phased array systems and underscore their potential for secure, high-performance indoor wireless communication.
Keywords
