A system may include a laser source, and an AOM coupled to the laser source. The AOM may include an acousto-optic medium, and transducer electrodes carried by the acousto-optic medium. The system may also include an interface board having a dielectric layer, and vertically extending signal vias within the dielectric layer. Each vertically extending signal via may have a lower end in contact with a respective transducer electrode. The interface board may have laterally extending signal traces carried by the dielectric layer. Each laterally extending signal trace may be in contact with an upper end of a respective vertically extending signal via.

The disclosed technology teaches a method of reducing the impact of cross-talk between transducers that drive an acousto-optic modulator. The method includes operating the transducers, which are mechanically coupled to an acousto-optic modulator medium, with different frequencies applied to adjoining transducers and producing a time-varying phase relationship between carriers on spatially adjoining modulation channels emanating from the adjoining transducers, with a frequency separation between carriers on the adjoining channels of 400 KHz to 20 MHz. The disclosed technology also includes operating 5 to 32 modulators, which are mechanically coupled to the acousto-optic modulator crystal, and varying the different frequencies applied to the modulators in a sawtooth pattern, varying the different frequencies over a range and then repeating variation over the range. Also included is varying the frequencies applied to the modulators in a rising or falling pattern applied progressively to the spatially adjoining transducers.

The technology disclosed uses extreme beam shaping to increase the amount of energy projected through an AOD. First and second expanders and are described that are positioned before and after the AOD. In one implementation, the optical path shapes energy from a source, such as a Gaussian laser spot, deflects it, then reshapes it into a writing spot. In another implementation for image capture, rather than projection system, the disclosed optics reshape a reading spot from an imaged surface to a high-aspect ratio beam at an AOD exit, subject to deflection by the AOD. The optics reshape the radiation relayed by the high-aspect ratio beam through the AOD to a detector. Since light can travel in both directions through an optical system, the details described in terms of projecting a writing spot onto a radiation sensitive surface also apply to metrology sweeping a reading spot over an imaged surface.

An acousto-optic system may include a laser source, and an AOM coupled to the laser source and having an acousto-optic medium and transducer electrodes carried by the medium. The acousto-optic system may also include an interface board with a dielectric layer and signal contacts carried by the dielectric layer, and connections coupling respective signal contacts with respective transducer electrodes. Each connection may include a dielectric protrusion extending from the AOM, and an electrically conductive layer on the dielectric protrusion for coupling a respective transducer electrode to a respective signal contact.

A beam positioner for deflecting a beam path, along which a diffracted beam of linearly polarized laser light is propagatable, within a two-dimensional scan field, the beam positioner includes a first acousto-optic deflectors (AOD) to deflect the beam path within a first one-dimensional scan field extending along a first axis of the two-dimensional scan field, a second AOD to deflect the beam path within a second one-dimensional scan field extending along a second axis of the two-dimensional scan field, a phase retarder arranged between the first AOD and the second AOD and within the beam path along which the beam of laser light is propagatable from the first AOD and a mirror arranged between the first AOD and the second AOD and within the beam path along which the beam of laser light is propagatable from the first AOD.

The disclosed technology teaches a method of reducing the impact of cross-talk between transducers that drive an acousto-optic modulator. The method includes operating the transducers, which are mechanically coupled to an acousto-optic modulator medium, with different frequencies applied to adjoining transducers and producing a time-varying phase relationship between carriers on spatially adjoining modulation channels emanating from the adjoining transducers, with a frequency separation between carriers on the adjoining channels of 400 KHz to 20 MHz. The disclosed technology also includes operating 5 to 32 modulators, which are mechanically coupled to the acousto-optic modulator crystal, and varying the different frequencies applied to the modulators in a sawtooth pattern, varying the different frequencies over a range and then repeating variation over the range. Also included is varying the frequencies applied to the modulators in a rising or falling pattern applied progressively to the spatially adjoining transducers.

A telecom system is disclosed with a laser controlled by an acousto-optic deflector including an optical element having a surface with one or more steps formed thereon; a conductive layer formed on the surface with the steps; one or more crystals secured to each step; and electrodes positioned on each surface of each crystal.

Optical apparatus includes an acousto-optic medium and an array of multiple piezoelectric transducers attached to the acousto-optic medium. A drive circuit is coupled to apply to the piezoelectric transducers respective drive signals including at least first and second frequency components at different, respective first and second frequencies and with different, respective phase offsets for the first and second frequency components at each of the multiple piezoelectric transducers.

A beam positioner includes a first acousto-optic (AO) deflector (AOD) comprising an AO cell and a transducer attached to the AO cell, and a wave plate optically contacted to the first AOD.

Acousto-optical modulators, such as a SAW modulators, with telescope arrays and superimposed volume gratings for light field generation are disclosed. These devices can employ pixelated demagnification and have layers of output optics, such as reflective gratings and/or arrays of transmissive refractive or diffractive lenses that manipulate the light emitted by the SAW modulator. In other cases, superimposed volume gratings are used, in which pixilation occurs in angle space.