Advanced integrated optical beam forming networks for broadband phased array antenna systems

This thesis deals with a special way to fully exploit and further enhance the high flexibility of those complex yet very powerful type of antennas, mainly in terms of speed, compactness and cost. A number of fields have benefited the extremely low loss and broad bandwidth of optical communication technology. Especially interesting to us are the capabilities and extended possibilities brought to the world of microwave and antenna engineering by the use of optics and, specifically, of integrated photonics. This field is known as integrated microwave photonics. The huge bandwidth and extreme low loss of optical fibers can be harnessed to implement very capable signal processing circuits for high-frequency electrical signals.