SBIR Phase I: High Performance Laser Deflector Using Stoichiometric Electro-Optic Materials

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将使用电光（EO）效应，其中电场改变非线性材料的折射率，以一种新颖的方式创建具有非常有利的激光束扫描和转向特性的光束偏转器。 通过新的多级设计已经实现了大角度偏转，最近已经证明了10 GHz的扫描速率。 利用制造方面的最新进展来改进非线性材料，这些设计现在可以在商业产品中执行。 除了使商业制造成为可能之外，这些新的化学计量材料还应该赋予激光偏转器有利的特性，包括改进的功率处理和增加的红外和紫外透明度。这项工作预计将推进最先进的电光设备，迄今为止还没有商业化。 预计电光偏转器将在激光扫描器市场上竞争非常成功，在非常小的设备中提供扫描速率、偏转范围、偏转效率和功率处理方面的上级性能。 快速扫描速率和高功率处理的建议EO偏转器将是有用的光束扫描在遥感应用。 该偏转器应用于克服自由空间通信和可变光衰减器中现有的限制。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will use the electro-optic (EO) effect, in which an electric field changes the index of refraction of a nonlinear material, in a novel manner to create a beam deflector with very favorable properties for laser beam scanning and steering. Large angle deflections have been achieved through new multi-stage designs, and 10-GHz scan rates have recently been demonstrated. These designs can now be executed in a commercial product using recent advances in fabrication to improved nonlinear materials. In addition to making commercial manufacturing possible, these new stoichiometric materials should impart favorable properties to a laser deflector, including improved power handling and increased infrared and UV transparency. This work is expected to advance the state-of-the-art with an electro-optic device that has so far not been commercially available. Electro-optic deflectors are predicted to compete quite successfully in the laser scanner market, offering superior performance in scan rate, deflection range, deflection efficiency, and power handling in a very small device. The fast scan rates and high power handling of the proposed EO deflector will be useful in for beam scanning in remote sensing applications. The deflector should be used to overcome existing limitations in free space communications and variable optical attenuators.