Beam steering device and system including the same

• US 10,656,498 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2017
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Sunil, Choi, Byounglyong
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Que Tan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bennett, Jennifer D
• Application Number:
  US15/691,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20180136539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4814 of transmitters alone
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/295 Analog deflection from or in an optical waveguide structure]
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/2955 by controlled diffraction or phased-array beam steering controlled diffraction for optical waveguide switching G02F1/313
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/24 beam steering

Abstract

A beam steering device includes a waveguide configured to transmit a beam therethrough; a cladding layer provided on the waveguide and including a material having a refractive index that varies according to a voltage applied thereto; and an electrode layer including at least two electrodes configured to independently voltages to at least two portions of the cladding layer.

Claims

1. A beam steering device configured to steer a beam incident from a light source towards an object, comprising:

a waveguide configured to transmit the beam incident from the light source therethrough;

a cladding layer provided on the waveguide and comprising a material having a refractive index that varies according to a voltage applied thereto;

an electrode layer comprising at least two electrodes configured to independently apply voltages to at least two portions of the cladding layer to steer the beam to the object; and

an insulating material provided between the at least two electrodes,

wherein the electrode layer comprises a first portion configured to apply a first voltage to a first portion of the cladding layer and a second portion configured to apply a second voltage to a second portion of the cladding layer, the first voltage and the second voltage being greater than zero, and

wherein a boundary between the first portion and the second portion has a stepped structure based on the first voltage and the second voltage.

2. The beam steering device of claim 1, wherein the at least two electrodes are electrically independent.

3. The beam steering device of claim 1, wherein the cladding layer comprises an electro-optic material.

4. The beam steering device of claim 3, wherein the electro-optic material comprises a liquid crystal, TiN, KTa1-xNbO3 (KTN), or NbOx.

5. The beam steering device of claim 1, wherein the cladding layer comprises an oxide semiconductor.

6. The beam steering device of claim 5, wherein the oxide semiconductor comprises at least one from among Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO), Indium-Zinc-Oxide (IZO), Ga—

In—

Zn-Oxide (GIZO), Al—

Zn-Oxide (AZO), Ga—

Zn-Oxide (GZO), and ZnO.

7. The beam steering device of claim 1, wherein the waveguide comprises silicon or silicon nitride.

8. The beam steering device of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is configured to operate as an electrode.

9. The beam steering device of claim 1, wherein the at least two electrodes of the electrode layer comprise a plurality of pixel electrodes that are arranged in a matrix and are electrically independent.

10. The beam steering device of claim 1, wherein the cladding layer comprises a metal oxide semiconductor structure provided along with the electrode layer.

11. The beam steering device of claim 10, wherein the cladding layer comprises a first layer and a second layer,

wherein the first layer comprises at least one from among Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO), Indium-Zinc-Oxide (IZO), Ga—

In—

Zn-Oxide (GIZO), Al—

Zn-Oxide (AZO), Ga—

Zn-Oxide (GZO), and ZnO and the second layer comprises any one from among HfO2, Al2O3, SiNx, and SiO2.

12. The beam steering device of claim 1, wherein the waveguide, the cladding layer, and the electrode layer are repeatedly stacked at least two times.

13. The beam steering device of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is configured to operate as an active prism according to a change in the refractive index of the cladding layer.

14. A system comprising:

a light source;

a beam steering device configured to steer a beam incident from the light source towards an object; and

a detector configured to detect the beam steered by the beam steering device and reflected by the object,

wherein the beam steering device comprises;

a waveguide configured to transmit the beam therethrough;

a cladding layer provided on the waveguide and comprising a material having a refractive index that varies according to a voltage applied thereto;

an electrode layer comprising at least two electrodes configured to independently apply voltages to at least two portions of the cladding layer; and

an insulating material provided between the at least two electrodes,

wherein the electrode layer comprises a first portion configured to apply a first voltage to a first portion of the cladding layer and a second portion configured to apply a second voltage to a second portion of the cladding layer, the first voltage and the second voltage being greater than zero, and

wherein a boundary between the first portion and the second portion has a stepped structure based on the first voltage and the second voltage.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the cladding layer comprises an electro-optic material.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the electro-optic material comprises a liquid crystal, TiN, KTa1-xNbxO3 (KTN), or NbOx.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the cladding layer comprises an oxide semiconductor.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least two electrodes of the electrode layer comprise a plurality of pixel electrodes that are arranged in a matrix and are electrically independent.