Demonstration of large-angle nonmechanical laser beam steering based on LC polymer polarization gratings

Kim, Jihwan; Miskiewicz, Matthew N.; Serati, Steven A.; Escuti, Michael J.

doi:10.1117/12.886508

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…It is possible to configure PG steering designs that are based on either switchable [13], [14] or polymer [15] PGs. These designs all utilize at least one switchable LC variable retarder as the polarization selector/controller before each PG, which is needed to access the full FOR.…”

Section: Steering Design Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nonmechanical Laser Beam Steering Based on Polymer Polarization Gratings: Design Optimization and Demonstration

Kim

Miskiewicz

Serati

et al. 2015

J. Lightwave Technol.

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We present a wide-angle, nonmechanical laser beam steerer based on polymer polarization gratings with an optimal design approach for maximizing field-of-regard (FOR). The steering design offers exponential scaling of the number of steering angles, called suprabinary steering. The design approach can be easily adapted for any 1-D or 2-D (e.g., symmetric or asymmetric FOR) beam steering. We simulate a system using a finite difference and ray tracing tools and fabricate coarse beam steerer with 65 • FOR with ∼8 • resolution at 1550 nm. We demonstrate high optical throughput (84%-87%) that can be substantially improved by optimizing substrates and electrode materials. This beam steerer can achieve very low sidelobes and supports comparatively large beam diameters paired with a very thin assembly and low beam walk-off. We also demonstrate using a certain type of LC variable retarder that the total switching time from any steering angle to another can be 1.7 ms or better.

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Section: Steering Design Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This technique utilizes a stack of switchable PGs and waveplates (WPs). Later, we introduced a closely related system for wide angle steering based on polymer PGs, called Supra-Binary (SB) steering [15].…”

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confidence: 99%

Nonmechanical Laser Beam Steering Based on Polymer Polarization Gratings: Design Optimization and Demonstration

Kim

Miskiewicz

Serati

et al. 2015

J. Lightwave Technol.

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“…Compared to many works already carried out [3,[13][14][15][16], the improvement implemented in the design of the LCPG includes parameters such as minimizing the period of grating up to 1.6 µm followed by increasing the first-order diffraction angle up to 41.7°, increasing the first-order diffraction efficiency, improving the total diffractive efficiency, eliminating unwanted diffraction orders, and increasing the contrast in the final state (table 4).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing an electro-optical module based on an LCPG switch for a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser rangefinder

2017

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We designed an electro-optical module based on a liquid crystal polarization grating (LCPG) switch for a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, Nd:Y 3 Al 5 O 12 , laser rangefinder with wavelength 1064 nm. Compared to other similar cases, the advantages of this design include maximization of the transmission percentage of the diffractive element (particularly first-order diffraction) and minimization of the light-leakage rate caused by zero order, and other unwanted diffractive orders. The conditions were prepared for using diffractive elements (gratings) with shorter periods and acquisition of diffraction orders with greater diffraction angles by benefitting from suitable compounds of LC in the given design. Similarly, the required measures were taken for the deletion of adverse effects caused by reflection from optic surfaces so that a very appropriate status was prepared for the function of the LCPG shutter.

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“…They introduced high-efficiency coarse beam steering modules using both active and passive PG architectures. Various designs and improvements have been studied subsequently by this team, [74][75][76] by Tabiryan et al, 71,72 and by Wu et al 77,78 A patent application 79 filed in 2009 was issued to NCSU and BNS, for this family of beam steering with LCPGs.…”

Section: Polarization Birefringent Gratingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Progress and opportunities in the development of nonmechanical beam steering for electro-optical systems

McManamon¹,

Ataei²

2019

Opt. Eng.

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We discuss over three decades of progress in nonmechanical beam steering, provide a comparison of approaches being developed, and comment on promising approaches not yet fully developed. Most of the work in nonmechanical beam steering has been for narrowband optical systems, but a brief discussion is provided of broadband. The majority of the nonmechanical approaches to beam steering create a tilted optical path delay (OPD) to change the wavefront, but some directly create a phase delay. OPD-based approaches may be true time delay, with no resets or modulo 2πn optical phased arrays that have resets. Most of the nonmechanical optical beam steering approaches tilt an existing wavefront and are called space fed approaches, because the beam is already formed when the wavefront is tilted. For the majority of radar nonmechanical beam steering, the tilted wavefront is formed by individual transmit/receive modules. Periodic structures (gratings) spread different wavelengths of light in angle, thus steering light, and are also used for nonmechanical steering. Our paper is derived from a conference paper presented at Photonics West in February 2019.

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Demonstration of large-angle nonmechanical laser beam steering based on LC polymer polarization gratings

Cited by 17 publications

References 14 publications

Nonmechanical Laser Beam Steering Based on Polymer Polarization Gratings: Design Optimization and Demonstration

Nonmechanical Laser Beam Steering Based on Polymer Polarization Gratings: Design Optimization and Demonstration

Designing an electro-optical module based on an LCPG switch for a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser rangefinder

Progress and opportunities in the development of nonmechanical beam steering for electro-optical systems

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