A movie (mpeg format) of our world record non-mechanical beamsteerer. Shown in this movie is 40 degrees of steering with only one control electrode. The steered beam is 1550 nm light and the movie is taken from the side of the waveguide. On the right side of the image is the scattered streak within the waveguide. On the left side of the image is the light after it has left the waveguide and is incident on a card.
To download the movie click here.
Beamsteerer Downloads:
A New Analog Electro-Optic Beamsteerer
There has been a long-standing need for non-mechanical beam-steering technologies. Electro-optic beam-steerers would find utility in a diverse set of applications, including: free space optical communications, laser range finding or LADAR, laser illumination, directed energy, and remote sensing, to name a few. In these applications, conventional mechanical solutions suffer from sensitivity to vibrations, can be bulky, and may consume several Watts of electrical power (e.g., voice-coil actuated devices). Unfortunately, a viable electro-optic replacement has been a long-standing technical challenge. Vescent Photonics liquid crystal waveguide form factor enables unprecedented macroscopic (>1 mm) electro-optic phase delays. When combined with patterned electrodes, this LC-technology provides a truly analog, “Snell's- law-type” beam-steerer. With only two control electrodes we have realized an 80 degree field of regard for 1550 nm light. Furthermore, the waveguide geometry keeps the light from ever coming into contact with an ITO electrode. Finally, the beam-steering devices have sub-millisecond response times.
To download a poster on this technology from the 2006 International Liquid Crystal Conference please click here.
In this movie the miniature EO beamsteerer is located in the lower right of the frame (it is mounted on a tripod). IR laser light (1550 nm) is steered across a parking lot onto a wall above a person head (the person is sitting down). The video is acquired with an IR CCD (InGaAs).
To download this movie click here
To download a pdf flyer and preliminary datasheet for the Vescent EO scanner click here.
To download an EO beamsteerer conference proceeding from the 2008 International Lidar Mapping Forum please click here.
To download an EO beamsteerer conference proceeding from the 2008 SPIE Defense and Security Symposium click here.
To download an LC-waveguide conference proceeding from the 2008 SPIE Defense and Security Symposium click here.