Abstract

Semiconductor diode lasers with continuous and agile beam steering capability are important for many applications, such as optical cross connects for optical fiber networks, 3D displays and 3D imaging. Acoustic-Optical-Modulators (AOM)¹ and silicon-based MEMS mirrors² have been demonstrated to steer laser beams. However, AOMs are very bulky and expensive. Silicon- based MEMS mirrors on the other hand require hybrid integration with laser diodes. As a result, silicon-MEMS beam steerable devices exhibit fairly high costs due to the requirements for high accuracy in surface mounting and beam alignment. Further, the scanning speed is slow in milliseconds, due to still sizable MEMS mirrors.

© 2002 Optical Society of America