ELECTRO-OPTIC BEAM DEFLECTOR DEVICE
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Accused Products
Abstract
A substantially planar waveguide for dynamically controlling the out-of-plane angle at which a light beam exits the waveguide. Generally, liquid crystal materials may be disposed within a waveguide in a cladding proximate or adjacent to a core layer of the waveguide. In one example, the waveguide may contain one or more taper regions such that the light beam exits the waveguide and propagates out-of-the-plane of the waveguide into an out-coupling medium at a propagation angle. In one example, the waveguide may contain one or more electrodes onto which one or more voltages may be applied. The magnitude of the propagation angle may be electronically controlled by stored by controlling or altering the magnitude of the one or more applied voltages.
124 Citations
21 Claims
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1. (canceled)
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2. A planar waveguide for adjusting an angle of a light beam in two dimensions, the planar waveguide comprising:
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a waveguide core sized and shaped to guide the light beam along a length of the waveguide; a cladding including a liquid crystal material, the cladding being sized and shaped to provide an interaction between an evanescent portion of the light beam and the liquid crystal material and confine the light beam within the waveguide core in an out-of-plane direction in a first region of the waveguide; an out-coupling medium located to receive an evanescently coupled portion of the light beam at a first out-of-plane angle and a first in-plane angle from the waveguide core in a second region of the waveguide; a first electrode located proximal to a first region of the waveguide and configured to adjust an angle of the light beam in an in-plane direction by adjusting an index of refraction of the liquid crystal material in the first region to establish the first in-plane angle at which the evanescently coupled portion of the light beam enters the out-coupling medium; and a second electrode located proximal to a second region of the waveguide and configured to adjust an angle of the light beam in an out-of-plane direction by adjusting an index of refraction of the liquid crystal material in the second region to establish the first out-of-plane angle at which the evanescently coupled portion of the light beam enters the out-coupling medium. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for adjusting an angle of a light beam in two dimensions, the method comprising:
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guiding the light beam along a length of a planar waveguide; providing an interaction between an evanescent portion of the light beam and a liquid crystal material and confining the light beam within a waveguide core and a cladding in an out-of-plane direction in a first region of the planar waveguide; receiving an evanescently out-coupled portion of the light beam at a first out-of-plane angle and a first in-plane angle from the waveguide core and the cladding in a second region of the planar waveguide; adjusting an angle of the light beam in an in-plane direction by adjusting an index of refraction of the liquid crystal material in the first region to establish the first in-plane angle at which the evanescently out-coupled portion of the light beam enters an out-coupling medium; and adjusting an angle of the light beam in an out-of-plane direction by adjusting an index of refraction of the liquid crystal material in the second region to establish the first out-of-plane angle at which the evanescently out-coupled portion of the light beam enters the out-coupling medium. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for adjusting an angle of a light beam in two dimensions, the system comprising:
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means for guiding the light beam along a length of a planar waveguide; means for providing an interaction between an evanescent portion of the light beam and a liquid crystal material and confining the light beam within a waveguide core and a cladding in an out-of-plane direction in a first region of the planar waveguide; means for receiving an evanescently out-coupled portion of the light beam at a first out-of-plane angle and a first in-plane angle from the waveguide core and the cladding in a second region of the planar waveguide; means for adjusting an angle of the light beam in an in-plane direction by adjusting an index of refraction of the liquid crystal material in the first region to establish the first in-plane angle at which the evanescently out-coupled portion of the light beam enters an out-coupling medium; and means for adjusting an angle of the light beam in an out-of-plane direction by adjusting an index of refraction of the liquid crystal material in the second region to establish the first out-of-plane angle at which the evanescently out-coupled portion of the light beam enters the out-coupling medium. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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Specification