A 7-bit photonic true-time-delay system based on an 8 × 8 MOEMS optical switch

We demonstrate a 7-bit photonic true-time-delay （TTD） system which uses an 8 × 8 micro-optical-electro- mechanical system （MOEMS） optical switch for phased array antennas （PAAs） beamforming applications. The switch controls the optical signal to pass by the fiber delay lines （FDLs） of different lengths. Different time delays between adjacent channels are obtained due to the chromatic dispersion of FDLs. Therefore, the system cannot be disturbed by the environment. The measured time delay responses are nearly linear with the wavelength spacing between optical carriers as well as the lengths of FDLs, which agrees well with the theoretical analysis.