Phased arrays provide great adaptability and flexibility in beamforming applications. The use of phased arrays was majorly limited to military applications. Advancements in fabrication technologies and reduced costs have made phased arrays viable for a large spectrum of commercial applications. Based on frequencies of operation, phased arrays can developed either for RF applications or for optical applications. As this technology marches forward, with it comes the need to understand the calibration of phased arrays. While there may be differences between RF phased arrays and optical phased arrays, when it comes to implementation, the fundamental underlying theory behind both the types is the same.

We propose an array calibration scheme based on a phase retrieval technique. The algorithm estimates the phases of antenna coefficients from measurable inputs (far-field radiation pattern amplitudes and near field intensities). The same algorithm can also be used for antenna synthesis: configuring the phased array to achieve an arbitrary array pattern desired. The algorithm is simulated on MATLAB and will then later be tested on optical phased array (OPA) chips, in the lab.