Abstract: A laser system may include a laser source configured to generate a laser light beam and an acousto-optic modulator (AOM). The AOM may include an acousto-optic medium configured to receive the laser light beam, and a phased array transducer comprising a plurality of electrodes coupled to the acousto-optic medium and configured to cause the acousto-optic medium to output a zero order laser light beam and a first order diffracted laser light beam. The system may further include a beamsplitter downstream from the AOM and configured to split a sampled laser light beam from the zero order laser light beam, a photodetector configured to receive the sampled laser light beam and generate a feedback signal associated therewith, and a radio frequency (RF) driver configured to generate an RF drive signal to the phased array transducer electrodes so that noise is diverted to the first order diffracted laser light beam based upon the feedback signal.

Abstract: A method may include generating a laser light beam with a laser source, splitting the laser light beam into a first front side beam and a back side beam for a back side of an ion trap using a first beamsplitter, directing the front side beam to a second beamsplitter using an input telescope, and splitting the first front side beam into a plurality of second front side beams directed to a common acousto-optic medium using a second beamsplitter. The common acousto-optic medium may have a respective plurality of electrodes coupled to the common acousto-optic medium for each of the second front side beams. The method may further include directing the plurality of second front side beams to a front side of the ion trap using an output telescope, and generating a respective RF drive signal for each of the plurality of electrodes using a plurality of RF drivers.

Abstract: A method may include generating a laser light beam with a laser source, splitting the laser light beam into a first front side beam and a back side beam for a back side of an ion trap using a first beamsplitter, directing the front side beam to a second beamsplitter using an input telescope, and splitting the first front side beam into a plurality of second front side beams directed to a common acousto-optic medium using a second beamsplitter. The common acousto-optic medium may have a respective plurality of electrodes coupled to the common acousto-optic medium for each of the second front side beams. The method may further include directing the plurality of second front side beams to a front side of the ion trap using an output telescope, and generating a respective RF drive signal for each of the plurality of electrodes using a plurality of RF drivers.

Abstract: A laser system may include a laser source configured to generate a laser light beam and an acousto-optic modulator (AOM). The AOM may include an acousto-optic medium configured to receive the laser light beam, and a phased array transducer comprising a plurality of electrodes coupled to the acousto-optic medium and configured to cause the acousto-optic medium to output a zero order laser light beam and a first order diffracted laser light beam. The system may further include a beamsplitter downstream from the AOM and configured to split a sampled laser light beam from the zero order laser light beam, a photodetector configured to receive the sampled laser light beam and generate a feedback signal associated therewith, and a radio frequency (RF) driver configured to generate an RF drive signal to the phased array transducer electrodes so that noise is diverted to the first order diffracted laser light beam based upon the feedback signal.

Abstract: A laser system may include a laser source configured to generate a first laser light beam, a beamsplitter configured to split the first laser light beam into a plurality of second laser light beams, and a multi-channel acousto-optic modulator (AOM). The multi-channel AOM may include a common acousto-optic medium configured to receive the plurality of second laser light beams, and a respective phased array transducer comprising a plurality of electrodes coupled to the acousto-optic medium for each of the second laser light beams. The laser system may further include a plurality of radio frequency (RF) drivers configured to generate respective RF drive signals for the phased array transducer electrodes.

Abstract: An RF power controller arrangement prevents excessive RF power-based thermal loading of an RF signal processing device, such an as acousto-optic modulator, by controllably constraining the product of the average on-duration of a baseband modulation signal and RF input power to realize no more than a prescribed value of RF energy supplied to the modulator.

Abstract: An RF power controller arrangement prevents excessive RF power-based thermal loading of an RF signal processing device, such an as acousto-optic modulator, by controllably constraining the product of the average on-duration of a baseband modulation signal and RF input power to realize no more than a prescribed value of RF energy supplied to the modulator.

Abstract: A multi-channel acousto-optic modulator contains an integrated structure for providing active compensation for transient thermal effects. A plurality of electro-thermal elements in the form of resistive strips are interleaved with acoustic wave launching transducers, to which signals are applied for modulating respective acoustic waves launched into an acousto-optic medium. The resistive strips receive electrical signals that controllably introduce respective thermal energy components into the acousto-optic medium adjacent to the signal launch transducers, in a manner that causes the overall spatial distribution of thermal energy in the acousto-optic medium to have a prescribed characteristic. By establishing an thermal gradient characteristic across all the channels of the RF signal processor, and compensating each channel on an individual basis, the invention effectively compensates for time-dependent variations in heating, resulting in a substantially level thermal behavior.

Abstract: An acoustic impedance-matching transformer includes a tapered acoustic energy transmission (metal) block, having an acoustic impedance less than that of a piezo-electric transducer in a metric direction toward that of the acoustic propagation medium of the waveguide, and by an amount that allows tailoring of the relative spatial dimensions of mating surfaces of the transducer and the block, so as to provide efficient broadband coupling of acoustic energy. The surface area of the end face of the block engaging the transducer is a corresponding fraction of the area of the transducer. The tapered block focuses acoustic energy toward the input aperture of the waveguide channel. The taper is determined in accordance with difference between the acoustic impedance of the aluminum block and that of a second acoustic wave propagation element, such as a quarter-wave section of plexiglass, interposed between the waveguide channel and the tapered block.

Abstract: An acoustic impedance-matching transformer includes a tapered acoustic energy transmission (metal) block, having an acoustic impedance less than that of a piezo-electric transducer in a metric direction toward that of the acoustic propagation medium of the waveguide, and by an amount that allows tailoring of the relative spatial dimensions of mating surfaces of the transducer and the block, so as to provide efficient broadband coupling of acoustic energy. The surface area of the end face of the block engaging the transducer is a corresponding fraction of the area of the transducer. The tapered block focuses acoustic energy toward the input aperture of the waveguide channel. The taper is determined in accordance with difference between the acoustic impedance of the aluminum block and that of a second acoustic wave propagation element, such as a quarter-wave section of plexiglass, interposed between the waveguide channel and the tapered block.

Abstract: An acoustic impedance-matching transformer includes a tapered acoustic energy transmission (metal) block, having an acoustic impedance less than that of a piezo-electric transducer in a metric direction toward that of the acoustic propagation medium of the waveguide, and by an amount that allows tailoring of the relative spatial dimensions of mating surfaces of the transducer and the block, so as to provide efficient broadband coupling of acoustic energy. The surface area of the end face of the block engaging the transducer is a corresponding fraction of the area of the transducer. The tapered block focuses acoustic energy toward the input aperture of the waveguide channel. The taper is determined in accordance with difference between the acoustic impedance of the aluminum block and that of a second acoustic wave propagation element, such as a quarter-wave section of plexiglass, interposed between the waveguide channel and the tapered block.

Abstract: A solid state acoustic travelling wave lens comprises a thin core layer of acoustic and light transmissive material, such as crystalline quartz, compression-bonded between a pair of outer or cladding layers, such as fused silica, having an acoustic velocity that is only slightly higher than (e.g., less than five percent of) that of the core material. The acoustic mode field characteristic of the weakly guiding device contains no spatial variations caused by Fresnel diffraction in an unguided wave device. In a second embodiment, shear stress coupling between the core and cladding layers is inhibited by interposing very thin liquid boundary layers between the core layer and the cladding layers. Such thin liquid boundary layers, which are relatively more compressible than the core and cladding material, allow longitudinal waves to be transmitted across the core/cladding boundary (through the liquid), but prevent transmission of shear waves therebetween.

Abstract: An acoustic traveling wave lens structure for an acousto-optic scanner comprises a confined height fluid-containing channel, upon which a scanned optical beam to be modulated by a acoustic traveling wave is incident. The channel is bounded by spaced-apart walls that extend between a first end of the scanner channel, to which an acoustic transducer is coupled, and a second end of the channel that terminates an acoustic traveling wave launched from the acoustic transducer. The thickness of the channel is linearly tapered from the first end to the second end, so as to maintain a constant acoustic power density. To compensate for the attenuation in acoustic power through the water medium, the waveguide may be heated, to maintain the temperature of the liquid medium (water) within the waveguide channel within a prescribed temperature range over which the acoustic velocity remains substantially constant or undergoes a relatively small variation.

Abstract: A folded acoustic traveling wave lens arrangement imparts multiple passes of an incident optical beam through the traveling wave lens, and thereby effectively maximize utilization of acoustic power. A lens of optically transmissive bulk material, such as quartz, is disposed in the path of an incident light beam which is spatially scanned by a light beam deflector. The bulk material of the lens element has a reflective layer disposed upon at least one of its surfaces, and is configured such that an incident light beam undergoes multiple passes through the acoustic wavefront propagating through the lens, prior to emerging from the lens. Aberration in the emerging beam due to multiple passes through the bulk material is corrected by a pupil plane correction plate.

Abstract: An amplitude modulation apparatus for achieving an extremely deep extinction ratio (in excess of -90 dBc) at nanosecond rise times required by an SAW device comprises the cascaded combination of a controlled switching device (GaAsFET), capable of providing a medium degree (40 dB) of attenuation at nanosecond switching rates, and a double balanced mixer, both multiplier input ports of which are coupled to receive split outputs from the GaAsFET switch. Because of the nonlinearity of the transfer function of the mixer when driven by the same RF carrier input at both multiplier ports, the output of the mixer is in excess of -90 dBc. In an SAW-based signal processing system, the output of the mixer is coupled to RF drive input of the SAW device.