Phase Gradient Fine Steering Mirrors for Free Space Optical Communication Systems

Lasercomm offers attractive benefits of energy efficient, small size and weight, as well as resistant to detection and jam. However, lasercomm requires high accuracy pointing systems due to the much narrower beam divergence compared to conventional RFtechnology. Although mechanical beam steering mirrors provide the basic performance requirements, there is an increased need for high frequency beam steering device to overcome platform vibration and jitter. In this program Agiltron Inc. propose analternative optical phase gradient based non-mechanical approach. Our innovative design overcomes the wavefront distortion deficiency that has traditionally hampered the application of phased array based device due to discontinuity and stair-stepphase-delay profile. Our technology offers significantly reduction in size and power of fast beam steering systems as well as intrinsic precision control capability. In Phase I we will fabricate a prototype device to demonstrate feasibility. Weanticipate that state-of-the-art performance in several key specifications can be achieved in Phase I of the program. Applications for optical scanning products are very broad. They include low-mass, low-power-consumption space terminals for future DoD,NASA and commercial space-to-ground and inter-satellite optical communications links. Other application includes lasercomm, displays, laser imaging, medicine, printing, industrial laser- based material processing and optical communications.