A novel lithium niobate Q-switch operating with less than 100 V and making use of the modulation characteristics of total internal reflection (TIR) modulators is described. Preliminary results obtained with a neodymium-doped YAG laser suggest that TIR modulators could be very useful in Q-switching applications and should be further investigated.
New developments of the electro-optic light deflector using total internal reflection of the light are given. By arranging the electrodes in the manner described it has been possible to deflect over 80% of the transmitted light from the zero to either of the first orders. The arrangement is ideally suited for further miniaturization and it is anticipated that switching between the orders will eventually be possible with an applied voltage of only a few volts. Suitable applications include beam steering, multi-stage deflectors and information processing.
Modulator/deflector applications in communications addressing and data processing call for simple, inexpensive, reliable, and fast devices that can be mass produced from readily available materials. The newly introduced TIR modulators using low voltages (<90 V at 0.63 μm) fit this description.
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