The ability to perform non-mechanical optical beam steering is of critical importance in laser
communication and remote sensing; it is as vital as a phased-array antenna is for RADAR. This challenge
has been addressed in the past primarily by liquid crystal (LC) devices. To date, a peak optical steering
angle of ±4.53 degrees has been achieved, but it is limited by the fringing field effect. This limiting effect
has been circumvented by depositing a thermo-optic material, polydimethlyoxane (PDMS), on a stair-step-approximated,
blazed grating. The phase gradient can be controlled, while the material's index of
refraction remains homogeneous throughout. The design, fabrication, simulation and performance of such
a prototype, reflection-mode device is analyzed. Angular control between orders separated by 0.75 and
1.2° is experimentally demonstrated. An analysis of the efficiency and response time (2.2 μs) of the device
is also presented. This approach promises circumvention of the fringing field effect, as well as much
simpler and less-expensive fabrication.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.