Compared to traditional optical beam steering device,optical phased array is fit for fast,agile and high accuracy beam control.In this paper,we introduce the basic principle of optical phased array for beam steering.Through the analysis of the deflection efficiency and steering angle,the performance of the optical phased array made up of different material in beam steering is described and compared.Subsequently,for the limitation that the present optical phased array material can only realize small angle steering,we introduce the approach to increasing the steering angle.Finally,the beam steering system that has a big steering angle as well as a high accuracy-APPLE（adaptive photonic phase-locked elements）is described.Its advantages and limitations are analyzed.