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.

An acousto-optic deflector with a layered structure (10) comprises at least two acousto-optic crystals (12), to each of which at least one electro-acoustic transducer (14) is connected, and the adjacent crystals (12) are separated by an acoustic isolator (16). A method for deflecting an optical beam using the acousto-optic deflector (10), comprises creating a first acoustic wave (15) in a first acousto-optic crystal (12) using a first electro-acoustic transducer (14) connected to the first acousto-optic crystal (12), and creating a second acoustic wave (15) in a second acousto-optic crystal (12) using a second electro-acoustic transducer (14) connected to the second acousto-optic crystal (12) and arranged between the first acousto-optic crystal (12) and the second acousto-optic crystal (12).

Aspects of the present disclosure describe techniques for controlling quantum states of ions in an ion chain for a quantum operation. For example, a method is described that includes providing, from a first direction, a global optical beam to the ions in the ion chain, and providing, from a second direction different from the first direction, to each ion in a subset of the ions in the ion chain, a respective addressing optical beam. The method further includes dynamically controlling each of the addressing optical beams being provided by using a respective channel in a multi-channel acousto-optic modulator (AOM) to implement, with the ion chain, one or more quantum gates in a sequence of quantum gates of the quantum operation. Aspects of a quantum information processing (QIP) system that includes the multi-channel AOM for performing the method are also described.

An acousto-optic deflector includes 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.

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.

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 laser system may include a laser source configured to generate a first laser light beam, a beam stabilizer downstream from the laser source and configured to stabilize the first laser light beam, and a beamsplitter downstream from the beam stabilizer and configured to split the stabilized first laser light beam into a plurality of second laser light beams. The system may further include a multi-channel acousto-optic modulator (AOM) including a common acousto-optic medium configured to receive the plurality of second laser light beams, and a respective phase array transducer comprising a plurality of electrodes coupled to the common acousto-optic medium for each of the second laser light beams. The system may further include a plurality of radio frequency (RF) drivers each configured to generate respective RF drive signals for the phased array transducer electrodes.

A laser system may include a laser source configured to generate a laser light beam, a beam stabilizer downstream from the laser light source, and an acousto-optic modulator (AOM). The AOM may include an acousto-optic medium configured to receive the laser light beam, and a phased array transducer including a plurality of electrodes coupled to the acousto-optic medium and configured to cause the acousto-optic medium to output a zero order laser light beam and a first order diffracted laser light beam. The system may further include a photodetector configured to receive a sampled laser light beam split from the zero order beam and generate a feedback signal associated therewith, and an RF driver configured to generate an RF drive signal to the phased array transducer electrodes so that noise is diverted to the first order diffracted laser light beam based upon the feedback signal.

The technology disclosed relates to developing an acousto-optic device (AOD) using an alpha-barium borate (BBO) crystal. An AOD using BBO enables high-resolution microlithographic patterning. The AOD includes a slab of BBO coupled to an RF transducer that drives an acoustic wave through the crystal structure. A laser source emits a beam of light that is incident on the crystal surface. The propagated acoustic wave acts as a diffraction grating that diffracts the incident wave. Using an BBO crystal allows for high resolution of light in the ultraviolet and visible spectra. The low speed of acoustic wave propagation through the crystal allows for more laser spots to be imaged than AODs made using other types of crystals.

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.