Abstract
We present a beam steering system based on micro-electromechanical systems technology that features high speed steering of multiple laser beams over a broad wavelength range. By utilizing high speed micromirrors with a broadband metallic coating, our system has the flexibility to simultaneously incorporate a wide range of wavelengths and multiple beams. We demonstrate reconfiguration of two independent beams at different wavelengths (780 and 635 nm) across a common 5x5 array with 4 micros settling time. Full simulation of the optical system provides insights on the scalability of the system. Such a system can provide a versatile tool for applications where fast laser multiplexing is necessary.
Highlights
Efficient utilization of laser resources by controllably directing or steering light from a single source across a relatively large area is a topic that affects a wide variety of research interests
We previously reported our implementation of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based 2 dimensional (2D) single beam steering system [13]
We demonstrate the scalability of the system by incorporating two beam paths at different wavelengths (780 nm and 635 nm) with substantial improvements in steering speed and optical throughput compared to our previous results
Summary
Efficient utilization of laser resources by controllably directing or steering light from a single source across a relatively large area is a topic that affects a wide variety of research interests. Acousto-optical deflectors need ∼ 1 W RF drive power and induce small frequency shifts in the laser that must be accounted for, while electro-optical deflectors need large operation voltages and have limited angular range Both technologies are generally restricted to single beams and scaling to a large number of independent beams is not straightforward. We demonstrate the scalability of the system by incorporating two beam paths at different wavelengths (780 nm and 635 nm) with substantial improvements in steering speed and optical throughput compared to our previous results This system utilizes highly optimized MEMS mirrors and features scalability to multiple beams while achieving settling times as low as 4 μs. In this paper we discuss the optical system design, MEMS mirror design, simulations used to investigate the scalability of the system, and the results of a two laser beam steering system
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