Global Patent Index - EP 1086529 A2

EP 1086529 A2 20010328 - PIEZOELECTRIC DIFRACTION GRATING LIGHT STEERING DEVICE

Title (en)

PIEZOELECTRIC DIFRACTION GRATING LIGHT STEERING DEVICE

Title (de)

VORRICHTUNG ZUR STEUERUNG DES LICHTS EINES PIEZOELEKTRISCHEN BEUGUNGSGITTERS

Title (fr)

DISPOSITIF D'ORIENTATION DE LA LUMIERE D'UN RESEAU DE DIFFRACTION PIEZOELECTRIQUE

Publication

EP 1086529 A2 20010328 (EN)

Application

EP 99916137 A 19990316

Priority

  • US 9905694 W 19990316
  • US 4259998 A 19980316

Abstract (en)

[origin: WO9948197A2] A piezoelectric diffraction grating steering device including a piezoelectric substrate having an attached or integrally formed diffraction grating. When an electric field is applied to the piezoelectric substrate, the piezoelectric actuator stretches the grating, changing the periodicity of the grating, thereby changing the angle of diffraction of the grating. The preferred grating is a high efficiency reflection type grating which diffracts a maximum amount of light into the first order mode, minimizing the amount of light in the zero order and higher order modes. The invention may be used in any application in which fine control over the angle of diffraction of a light beam is required, and may have an adjustment rate in excess of 100 KHz. One application is as a beam steering element in a free-space laser communication system.

IPC 1-7

H03H 1/00

IPC 8 full level

G02B 5/18 (2006.01); H01L 41/09 (2006.01)

CPC (source: EP)

G02B 5/1828 (2013.01)

Citation (search report)

See references of WO 9948197A2

Designated contracting state (EPC)

DE FR GB

DOCDB simple family (publication)

WO 9948197 A2 19990923; WO 9948197 A3 19991216; AU 3451499 A 19991011; EP 1086529 A2 20010328

DOCDB simple family (application)

US 9905694 W 19990316; AU 3451499 A 19990316; EP 99916137 A 19990316