Abstract: A liquid crystal (LC) beam steerer includes a waveguide apparatus with a waveguide having a high-index core in contact with a variable-index liquid crystal (LC) cladding, wherein a voltage applied to the LC cladding is effective to steer a beam of light passing through the high-index core. Measuring the bulk birefringence and/or the capacitance characteristics of the LC can facilitate beam steering.

Abstract: The azo dye brilliant yellow operates to align liquid crystal molecules in three dimensions, for example to establish a desired in-plane alignment and pre-tilt angle. This technique provides a wide range selectable and re-writable pretilt angles from 0° to nearly 90°.

Abstract: A liquid crystal-based non-mechanical beam steering device that permits steering in the mid-wave infrared and has a chalcogenide waveguide. The waveguide core, the subcladding, or both comprise a chalcogenide glass. The liquid crystal-based non-mechanical beam steering device has a tapered subcladding and a liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: A liquid crystal (LC) beam steerer includes a waveguide apparatus with a waveguide having a high-index core in contact with a variable-index liquid crystal (LC) cladding, wherein a voltage applied to the LC cladding is effective to steer a beam of light passing through the high-index core. Measuring the bulk birefringence and/or the capacitance characteristics of the LC can facilitate beam steering.

Abstract: An optical system has a beam-steering device, a light source, and a controller that controls the light source to actively control wavelength of the incoming light to control the output angle of the outgoing light output from the BS device. The BS device may have incoupler, waveguide, and/or outcoupler electrodes, and the system may have corresponding controllable voltage supplies actively controlled by the controller to selectively modify electric fields applied to the BS device to control corresponding operating characteristics of the BS device (e.g., in-plane and/or out-of-plane output angles of the outgoing light and/or device incoupling angle). An alternative optical system has a BS device, a detector array that generates detector signals corresponding to outgoing light received from the BS device, and a controller that processes the detector signals to determine one or more wavelengths of the outgoing light.

Abstract: Liquid crystal molecules are described with desirably reduced attenuation in portions of the long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectrum. The molecules include a linear hydrocarbon of varying length (CnH2n+1, where n, for example, is from 4-7), a deuterated phenyl core comprising 2 or 3 rings, and one terminal cyano group. These enable electro-optic such as light modulators, phased arrays, polarization gratings, refractive steerers, and the like, operable at LWIR.

Abstract: A liquid crystal-based non-mechanical beam steering device that permits steering in the mid-wave infrared and has a chalcogenide waveguide. The waveguide core, the subcladding, or both comprise a chalcogenide glass. The liquid crystal-based non-mechanical beam steering device has a tapered subcladding and a liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: A method for making a chalcogenide glass waveguide in a liquid crystal-based non-mechanical beam steering device that permits steering in the mid-wave infrared. The waveguide core, the subcladding, or both comprise a chalcogenide glass. A mask is used to produce a tapered subcladding. Also disclosed is the related non-mechanical beam steering device that includes a chalcogenide waveguide.

Abstract: An optical system has a beam-steering device having a planar waveguide region between a tapered incoupler and a tapered outcoupler that respectively define opposing incoupler and outcoupler facets of the BS device. Each region has a substrate, a subcladding layer over the substrate, a core layer over the subcladding, and a top cladding layer over the core. Within the incoupler, at least one of the subcladding and the top cladding has a material having a refractive index that varies with an applied field (e.g., an electric field) applied at the incoupler. The optical system also has a field-applying device that applies the applied field at the incoupler, an output detector that generates a feedback signal based on detected outgoing light output from the outcoupler, and a controller that controls the field-applying device based on the feedback signal to alter the light output from the outcoupler.

Abstract: An optical system has a beam-steering device, a light source, and a controller that controls the light source to actively control wavelength of the incoming light to control the output angle of the outgoing light output from the BS device. The BS device may have incoupler, waveguide, and/or outcoupler electrodes, and the system may have corresponding controllable voltage supplies actively controlled by the controller to selectively modify electric fields applied to the BS device to control corresponding operating characteristics of the BS device (e.g., in-plane and/or out-of-plane output angles of the outgoing light and/or device incoupling angle). An alternative optical system has a BS device, a detector array that generates detector signals corresponding to outgoing light received from the BS device, and a controller that processes the detector signals to determine one or more wavelengths of the outgoing light.

Abstract: An optical system has a beam-steering device having a planar waveguide region between a tapered incoupler and a tapered outcoupler that respectively define opposing incoupler and outcoupler facets of the BS device. Each region has a substrate, a subcladding layer over the substrate, a core layer over the subcladding, and a top cladding layer over the core. Within the incoupler, at least one of the subcladding and the top cladding has a material having a refractive index that varies with an applied field (e.g., an electric field) applied at the incoupler. The optical system also has a field-applying device that applies the applied field at the incoupler, an output detector that generates a feedback signal based on detected outgoing light output from the outcoupler, and a controller that controls the field-applying device based on the feedback signal to alter the light output from the outcoupler.

Abstract: A beam-steering device, such as a steerable electro-evanescent optical refractor, has a planar waveguide region between an incoupler and an outcoupler. Each region has a substrate and a plurality of thin-film layers, such as a subcladding layer over the substrate and a core layer over the subcladding. For at least one coupler, at least two of the thin-film layers have spatially varying optical thicknesses due to, for example, the subcladding and the core being tapered with decreasing thicknesses from the waveguide region to the corresponding facet of the BS device. Alternatively, spatially varying optical thickness can be achieved by spatially varying a layer's refractive index. The coupler has a FWHM bandwidth and a FWHM coupling angle tolerance that greatly exceed those achievable using conventional Ulrich couplers.

Abstract: A method for making a chalcogenide glass waveguide in a liquid crystal-based non-mechanical beam steering device that permits steering in the mid-wave infrared. The waveguide core, the subcladding, or both comprise a chalcogenide glass. A mask is used to produce a tapered subcladding. Also disclosed is the related non-mechanical beam steering device that includes a chalcogenide waveguide.