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US 4,047,795 AGranted
Optical integrated circuit laser beam scanner
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsRichard Swart Hughes, Howard A. Wilcox
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rapid laser scanning system utilizing an optical grating coupler (OGC) reby the angle at which an incident laser beam is outputted therefrom may be varied by the imposition of an electric field on a thin film underlying the coupler at right angles to the path of the laser beam through the thin film.
Claims17
A variable optic coupler, comprising:
- an optical path formed of a material which responds to a high electric field by manifesting the electro-optic effect, for propagating a laser beam;
- means for coupling said laser beam into and out of said optical path at predetermined coupling angles, wherein said coupling means has at least one optical grating coupler overlying at least a portion of said optical path;
- means for electro-optically changing the refractive index of said portion of the optical path which underlies said optical grating coupler;
- so arranged and constructed that the laser beam coupling angle at said optical grating coupler changes in response to changes in the refractive index of said portion of the optical path which underlies said optical grating coupler.
1 more element
A variable optic coupler, comprising:
- an electrically conductive substrate;
- an electrically insulating thin film formed of a material which responds to a high electric field by manifesting the electro-optic effect, said thin film overlying said substrate and defining an optical path for propagating a laser beam;
- at least one optically transparent transducer overlying at least a portion of said thin film, said transducer being operative to impress a high electric field across said portion of said thin film;
- first and second optical grating couplers overlying said thin film and having predetermined laser beam coupling angles for coupling said laser beam into and out of said thin film at said predetermined coupling angles, and at least one of said grating couplers overlying said transducer;
- signal means operably connected to said transducer and said substrate for causing a high electric field to be impressed in said thin film in response to a signal;
- so arranged and constructed that the laser beam coupling angle at the optical grating coupler which overlies said transducer changes in response to changes in the refractive index of the portion of the thin film which underlies said transducer.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.