Non-mechanical beam steering: ways and means

Abstract

One of the very useful aspects of a laser is its well-defined beam, delivering high intensity to a defined location. Directing that beam and specifying the location is generally done with adjustable mirrors. Directing the beam in time varying manner most often requires galvanometer scanning mirrors which translate in one dimension. These mirrors, though now a mature technology, are in general speed limited due to their inertia and can be heavy, power hungry and expensive. There are then benefits to be gained from non-mechanical means of beam steering particularly in terms of speed and weight. This paper gives an overview of methods employed to implement beam steering and then concentrates on methods that do not rely on independent phase control. The use of a micromirror array for 3-dimensional beam control will be presented with the pros and cons that this entails.

An optical beam scanner with reconfigurable non mechanical control of beam position, angle and focus for low-cost whole-eye OCT imaging

“…Moreover, a dynamically reconfigurable scanning configuration would also allow customization for specific applications even beyond whole-eye imaging. In order to incorporate an additional degree of versatility in the selection of the scanning configuration, i.e., the control of beam axis displacement and deflection, several non-mechanical components for beam steering could be used [26]. ETLs are the most promising for lower-cost applications, and they have already been implemented in devices such as an adjustable beam expander [27], where two ETLs were arranged on axis in a telescope configuration, and a wide-angle beam steering system [26,28],…”