Development of an Ultra-Fast Optical Beam Scanner for Tactical Laser Radar (LADAR) Seeker

Optical scanners are used to control the position of a light beam in one or more orthogonal spatial dimensions. There is a strong need to develop seeker with increased ability to track and engage multiple fleeting targets at increased range. Optomechanical scanners and scanners based on liquid crystals (LC) can effectively scan laser beams but they have limited scanning speeds. voltage, optical beam scanner is needed for future tactical missile seekers. We propose to use the superprism effect to produce an all-electronic beam steering device. We propose that instead of changing the angle of incidence of the incident light to achieve large deflections, a change in the band structure by the electro-optic (EO) effect in a PBG structure fabricated from high-performance EO polymers can cause changes in the propagation direction of the light. Beam steering by using EO materials would be very useful, especially because the intrinsic response speed of the EO effect is know to be in the GHz range. EO steering also opens up the possibility of local control of dispersion surfaces by applying local electric fields resulting in local beam steering of parts of the beam.