Patent classifications
G02F1/311
System, method and apparatus for non-mechanical optical and photonic beam steering
An example system includes a high-side electrode layer including a number of discrete electrodes and a low-side electrode layer. The system further includes an electro-optic (EO) layer including an EO active material positioned between the high-side electrode layer and the low-side electrode layer, thereby forming a number of active cells of the EO layer. Each of the number of active cells of the EO layer includes a portion of the EO layer that is positioned between one of the discrete electrodes and the low-side electrode layer. The example system further includes an insulator operationally coupled to the active cells of the EO layer, and at least partially positioned between a first one of the active cells and a second one of the active cells.
OPTICAL MULTIPLEXER SWITCH TREE
Optical switch trees are commonly used to route light from one input channel to multiple possible output channels one at a time. As the number of output channels increases, the number of wire-bonding pads increases and the drive electronics becomes more complicated. The optical switch tree comprises an array of optical switches arranged in a plurality of rows of optical switches, each connected by a row bus, which are connected to a first multiplexer and a common power source; and a plurality of columns of optical switches, each connected by a column bus, which are connected to a second multiplexer and a common ground. A control processor selects one of the plurality of columns of optical switches to connect to the common ground, and selects one of the plurality of rows of optical switches to connect to the common power source, thereby selecting a single optical switch in the array of optical switches to activate.
SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR NON-MECHANICAL OPTICAL AND PHOTONIC BEAM STEERING
An example system includes a high-side electrode layer including a number of discrete electrodes and a low-side electrode layer. The system further includes an electro-optic (EO) layer including an EO active material positioned between the high-side electrode layer and the low-side electrode layer, thereby forming a number of active cells of the EO layer. Each of the number of active cells of the EO layer includes a portion of the EO layer that is positioned between one of the discrete electrodes and the low-side electrode layer. The example system further includes an insulator operationally coupled to the active cells of the EO layer, and at least partially positioned between a first one of the active cells and a second one of the active cells.
Switchyard Beam Routing Of Patterned Light For Additive Manufacturing
A method and an apparatus for additive manufacturing pertaining to high efficiency, energy beam patterning and beam steering to effectively and efficiently utilize the source energy. In one embodiment recycling and reuse of unwanted light includes a source of multiple light patterns produced by one or more light valves, with at least one of the multiple light patterns being formed from rejected patterned light. An image relay is used to direct the multiple light patterns, and a beam routing system receives the multiple light patterns and respectively directs them toward defined areas on a powder bed.
Variable Interference-Fringe-Interval Optical Circuit and Fringe Projection Device
Provided is a fringe projection device capable of adjusting resolution and measurement accuracy without increasing the number of light sources, performing position adjustment of the emission point and the surface to be inspected, or increasing device costs and measurement procedures. A waveguide-type optical phase modulator of the present invention includes a waveguide-type optical element in which an optical waveguide is formed on a substrate, the waveguide-type optical element including: at least one input waveguide to which an optical signal is input; a one-input and N-output (N is an integer of 2 or more) branch waveguide that is optically connected to an output of the input waveguide; 1×M (M is an integer of 2 or more) optical switches that are optically connected to outputs of the branch waveguide; (N×M) phase shifters that are optically connected to outputs of the optical switches; and (N×M) output waveguides that are optically connected to outputs of the phase shifters.
Programmable two-dimensional simultaneous multi-beam optically operated phased array receiver chip and multi-beam control method
A programmable two-dimensional simultaneous multi-beam optically operated phased array receiver chip is manufactured based on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and indium phosphide (InP) semiconductor manufacturing processes, including the SiN process. The InP-based semiconductor is used for preparing a laser array chip and a semiconductor optical amplifier array chip, the SiN is used for preparing an optical power divider, and the SOI semiconductor is used for preparing a silicon optical modulator, a germanium-silicon detector, an optical wavelength multiplexer, a true delay line, and other passive optical devices. The whole integration of the receiver chip is realized through heterogeneous integration of the InP-based chip and the SOI-based chip. Simultaneous multi-beam scanning can be realized through peripheral circuit programming control. The chip not only can realize two-dimensional multi-beam scanning, but also has strong expansibility, such that the chip can be used for ultra-wideband high-capacity wireless communication and simultaneous multi-target radar recognition systems.
Switchyard beam routing of patterned light for additive manufacturing
A method and an apparatus for additive manufacturing pertaining to high efficiency, energy beam patterning and beam steering to effectively and efficiently utilize the source energy. In one embodiment recycling and reuse of unwanted light includes a source of multiple light patterns produced by one or more light valves, with at least one of the multiple light patterns being formed from rejected patterned light. An image relay is used to direct the multiple light patterns, and a beam routing system receives the multiple light patterns and respectively directs them toward defined areas on a powder bed.
SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR NON-MECHANICAL OPTICAL AND PHOTONIC BEAM STEERING
An example system includes a high-side electrode layer including a number of discrete electrodes and a low-side electrode layer. The system further includes an electro-optic (EO) layer including an EO active material positioned between the high-side electrode layer and the low-side electrode layer, thereby forming a number of active cells of the EO layer. Each of the number of active cells of the EO layer includes a portion of the EO layer that is positioned between one of the discrete electrodes and the low-side electrode layer. The example system further includes an insulator operationally coupled to the active cells of the EO layer, and at least partially positioned between a first one of the active cells and a second one of the active cells.
SAW Modulators and Light Steering Methods
An electro-holographic light field generator device is disclosed. The light field generator device has an optical substrate with a waveguide face and an exit face. One or more surface acoustic wave (SAW) optical modulator devices are included within each light field generator device. The SAW devices each include a light input, a waveguide, and a SAW transducer, all configured for guided mode confinement of input light within the waveguide. A leaky mode deflection of a portion of the waveguided light, or diffractive light, impinges upon the exit face. Multiple output optics at the exit face are configured for developing from each of the output optics a radiated exit light from the diffracted light for at least one of the waveguides. An RF controller is configured to control the SAW devices to develop the radiated exit light as a three-dimensional output light field with horizontal parallax and compatible with observer vertical motion.
Apparatus, systems, and methods for on-chip spectroscopy using optical switches
A spectrometer includes an interferometer having a first interference arm and a second interference arm to produce interference patterns from incident light. At least one of the interference arms includes a series of cascaded optical switches connected by two (or more) waveguides of different lengths. Each optical switch directs the incident light into one waveguide or another, thereby changing the optical path length difference between the first interference arm and the second interference arm. This approach can be extended to multi-mode incident light by placing parallel interferometers together, each of which performs spectroscopy of one single mode in the multi-mode incident light. To maintain the compactness of the spectrometer, adjacent interferometers can share one interference arm.