Electro-optic waveguide deflector using a nonlinear optic film or liquid-crystal overlay cell for use in an optical pickup head

An integrated electro-optic waveguide deflector, comprising:

• a base support;
• a planar electrode layer disposed on a surface of said base support;
• a first buffer layer disposed atop said first electrode layer, said first buffer layer comprising a transparent dielectric material;
• an optical waveguide layer having a refractive index and being positioned on said base support and overlying said first buffer layer and said planar electrode;
• a second buffer layer deposited atop said waveguide layer, said second buffer layer comprising a transparent dielectric material, said first and second buffer layers each having a refractive index lower than the refractive index of the waveguide layer;
• a third layer of transparent material having a refractive index approximately equal to the refractive index of said waveguide layer and having a higher refractive index than said first and second buffer layers and being positioned between said first buffer layer and said waveguide layer;
• a pair of spaced electrodes atop said second buffer layer, each of said electrodes having a preselected geometrical configuration;
• and
• means for selectively applying an electric field between said pair of electrodes and said planar electrode so that deflection varies with applied voltage according to the geometrical configuration of said pair of spaced electrodes.

A method for forming an integrated electro-optic waveguide deflector, comprising:

• forming a planar electrode;
• positioning an optical waveguide layer to overlay said planar electrode for deflecting light, said waveguide layer having a refractive index;
• positioning a pair of spaced electrodes to overlay said waveguide layer, each of said electrodes having a prism configuration defining a prism angle;
• and
• selectively applying an electric field between said pair of electrodes and said planar electrode so that deflection varies with applied voltage according to a formula:
• ##EQU6## where .DELTA..THETA. is the deflection angle of a collimated beam in the waveguide layer, .DELTA.n is the electro-optically induced index change, n is the effective index of refraction of the waveguide, and .GAMMA. is the prism angle.

A method for forming an integrated electro-optic waveguide deflector, comprising:

• forming a base support;
• disposing a planar electrode layer on a surface of said base support;
• disposing a first buffer layer comprising a transparent dielectric material atop said first electrode layer;
• positioning an optical waveguide layer having a refractive index on said base support overlying said first buffer layer and said planar electrode;
• depositing a second buffer layer comprising a transparent dielectric material atop said waveguide layer, said first and second buffer layers each having a refractive index lower than the refractive index of the waveguide layer;
• positioning a third layer of transparent material having a refractive index approximately equal to the refractive index of said waveguide layer and having a higher refractive index than said first and second buffer layers between said first buffer layer and said waveguide layer;
• positioning a pair of spaced electrodes atop said second buffer layer, each of said electrodes having a preselected geometrical configuration;
• and
• selectively applying an electric field between said pair of electrodes and said planar electrode and varying deflection with applied voltage according to the geometrical configuration of said pair of spaced electrodes.