Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) micro-mirror array (MMA) steered high-power laser transmitter
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorsBenn H. Gleason, Gerald P. Uyeno, Sean D. Keller
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Abstract
A steerable laser transmitter pairs a MEMS MMA with an optical amplifier to provide a high-power steered laser beam over a wide FOR. A single MEMS MMA may be positioned downstream of the optical amplifier. In a two-stage architecture, a MEMS MMA provides continuous fine steer upstream of the optical amplifier and a beam steerer, another MEMS MMA or a QWP and stack of switchable PGs, provides discrete coarse steering downstream. In the two-stage architecture, the upstream MEMS MMA is configured to limit its steering range to the acceptance angle of the optical amplifier, at most ±2°×±2°. The MEMS MMA may include piston capability to shape the wavefront of the beam.
Claims17
A steered high-power laser transmitter comprising:
- a laser system configured to emit a light beam;
- a discrete optical amplifier oriented along an optical axis to amplify the light beam, wherein the discrete optical amplifier provides substantially uniform gain over a fine angular range no greater than ±2°×±2° about the optical axis;
- a first Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Array (MMA) including a plurality of mirrors responsive to command signals to tip and tilt in two degrees-of-freedom (2 DOF) to steer the light beam, wherein said first MEMS MMA is positioned upstream of the discrete optical amplifier to steer the light beam over only the fine angular range, and
- a beam steerer positioned downstream of the optical amplifier to discretely steer the light beam in a coarse angular range of at least ±10°×±10°.
A steered high-power laser transmitter, comprising:
- a laser system configured to emit a light beam;
- a linear polarizer configured to convert the light beam to linear polarized light;
- a first Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Array (MMA) including a plurality of mirrors responsive to command signals to tip and tilt in two degrees-of-freedom (2 DOF) to steer the light beam about an optical axis in a fine angular range no greater than ±2°×±2°;
- a discrete optical amplifier oriented along the optical axis, said amplifier providing substantially uniform gain over the fine angular range to amplify the light beam;
- a fixed quarter waveplate that converts the linearly polarized and amplified light beam to a circularly polarized and amplified light beam;
- and
- a stack of switchable polarization gratings (PGs) responsive to command signals to discretely steer the circularly polarized and amplified light beam in a coarse angular range of at least ±10°×═10°.
A steered high-power laser transmitter, comprising:
- a laser system configured to emit a light beam;
- a first Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Array (MMA) including a plurality of mirrors responsive to command signals to tip and tilt in two degrees-of-freedom (2 DOF) to steer the light beam about an optical axis in a fine angular range no greater than ±2°×±2°;
- a discrete optical amplifier oriented along the optical axis, said amplifier providing substantially uniform gain over the fine angular range to amplify the light beam;
- and
- a second MEMS MMA including a plurality of mirrors responsive to command signals to tip and tilt in two degrees-of-freedom (2 DOF) to discretely steer the light beam in a coarse angular range of at least ±10°×±10°.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.