Abstract: A two dimensional electro-optic modulator comprises an electro-optic element and a two dimensional planar array of individually addressable electrodes for spatially modulating a light beam along a plurality of transverse axes or for imparting a geometric phase front to the light beam. Such a modulator may be used, for example, (1) in a real time or in a time delay and integration mode as a multigate light valve for (a) electro-optic line printing or (b) optical displays, or (2) in a real time mode as (a) a beam focusing and tracking device for optical memories or (b) an arcal input device, a Fourier plane filter, or an image plane correlation mask for optical processing.

Abstract: A two dimensional electro-optic modulator comprises an electro-optic element and a two dimensional planar array of individually addressable electrodes for spatially modulating a light beam along a plurality of transverse axes or for imparting a geometric phase front to the light beam. Such a modulator may be used, for example, (1) in a real time or in a time delay and integration mode as a multigate light valve for (a) electro-optic line printing or (b) optical displays, or (2) in a real time mode as (a) a beam focusing and tracking device for optical memories or (b) an areal input device, a Fourier plane filter, or an image plane correlation mask for optical processing.

Abstract: The electrodes of a proximity coupled, multigate electro-optic light valve are overcoated with a soft, conformable composition which flows in its solid state to conform to the electro-optic element of the light valve when the electrodes are pressed thereagainst. For example, standard semiconductor fabrication techniques may be utilized to fabricate a suitably patterned set of electrically independent, elongated electrical conductors on a silicon integrated circuit, and those conductors are, in turn, overcoated with a high dielectric constant, conformable material, such as indium or aluminum.

Abstract: An optical system for collimating the radiation from a semiconductor laser, the laser near field having a single beam waist position in a first direction and having an elongated but phase coherent near field emitting pattern in a second direction which forms a far field low divergence beam pattern, the optical system characterized by a lens system for imaging said near field of said single beam waist position in the first spatial direction while imaging the elongated, phase coherent far field radiation pattern in the second direction. The laser is a multi-emitter or broad emitter semiconductor laser capable of producing one or more output beams. The lens system may include focusing optics to focus radiation in the near field pattern emitted from the laser in the first direction and in the far field pattern of radiation emitted from the laser in the second direction.

Abstract: An optical disk system having direct read after write capabilities in which the write beam and the read beam are generated by a pair of integrated injection diode lasers. The integration can be achieved by mounting two separate injection diode lasers side by side in a common package or providing two side by side injection diode lasers formed on a common seminconductor substrate. The two lasers would be located in the same focal plane relative to a recording material, with one of the lasers pulse modulated to provide a data modulated write beam and the other laser driven in the continuous wave (CW) regime to provide a read beam of constant intensity. The plane containing the focused beams would be oriented relative to the recording material so that the focused beams impinge upon adacent portions of one data track of the recording material. Since the pair of lasers are closely spaced (1-1000 microns) a common optical path or train is used for both the write beam and the read beam.

Abstract: The electrodes of a proximity coupled electro-optic device, such as a multi-gate light valve for an electro-optic line printer, are mechanically gapped from the electro-optic element to increase the uniformity of the electro-optic output of the device.

Abstract: A two dimensional electro-optic modulator comprises an electro-optic element and a two dimensional planar array of individually addressable electrodes for spatially modulating a light beam along a plurality of transverse axes or for imparting a geometric phase front to the light beam. Such a modulator may be used, for example, (1) in a real time or in a time delay and integration mode as a multigate light valve for (a) electro-optic line printing or (b) optical displays, or (2) in a real time mode as (a) a beam focusing and tracking device for optical memories or (b) an areal input device, a Fourier plane filter, or an image plane correlation mask for optical processing.

Abstract: A variable length electro-optic waveguide is used to adjust the input conjugate of a focusing lens, thereby providing a relatively high speed and inexpensive focus control device having a wide dynamic control range for optical memories and the like. A pair of segmented electrodes are deposited in spaced apart relationship on or near a surface of an electro-optic element, and provision is made for individually addressing the electrode segments, whereby the effective length of the waveguide may be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing, respectively, the number of adjacent electrode segments that are being actively driven at any given time. In keeping with one of the more detailed features of this invention, a multi-layer electrode construction is preferred so that the electrode segments may be interleaved in stacked, overlapping relationship to create a substantially continuous waveguide of controllable length.

Abstract: The input data samples for a fringe field responsive electro-optic line printer are differentially encoded, thereby reducing the number of electrodes such a printer requires to achieve a given resolution by a factor of just less than two. The sample-to-sample voltage drops of the differentially encoded data correspond to the magnitudes of the input samples and, therefore, the fringe fields produced when the encoded samples are applied to the electrodes of such a line printer cause the incident light beam to be spatially modulated in accordance with the input samples.

Abstract: An integrated input/output scanner for electronic document processing and similar application comprises a photodetector array and an array of individually addressable electrodes which are supported on a suitable substrate, such as a silicon integrated circuit, and held closely adjacent a longitudinal surface of an optically transparent electro-optic element. For output scanning, a sheet-like light beam is transmitted through the electro-optic element in a generally longitudinal direction and is spatially modulated in accordance with data applied to the electrodes. Readout optics convert the spatial phase front or polarization modulation of the light beam into a correspondingly modulated intensity profile to expose a recording medium. On the other hand, for input scanning, a subject copy is imaged onto the photodetector array via the electro-optic element.

Abstract: The imaging optics for an electro-optic line printer include means for coupling light from illuminated picture elements into the regions adjacent such picture elements, so that the cross line motion of the recording medium and/or the limited resolving power of the printing process may be relied upon to reduce, if not eliminate, illumination nulls. To accomplish that, one embodiment employs a tilted phase step in or near the Fourier transform plane of the imaging optics to convert each of the illuminated picture elements into a dual spot diffraction pattern which is tilted or canted relative to the cross line motion of the recording medium. In another embodiment there is a light scattering element which is positioned just in front of the image plane to scatter light from the illuminated picture elements into the null regions without otherwise materially affecting the image.

Abstract: Each laser of a semiconductor laser array of an optical system has its own lens mounted adjacent to it in the space between the laser array and the objective lens of the system. The purpose of the lenses is to change the angle of divergence of the light beams leaving the emitting surface of the laser array so that the light beams can be collected efficiently by the objective lens, thereby providing significant beam power at the light sensitive medium (optical disk, photoconductor, etc.) of the optical system. The focusing power of each lens is chosen to form virtual images behind the emitting surface with spacings approximately corresponding to the spacings of the light beams emitted by the laser array, but with the emitter image size substantially magnified.

Abstract: A thin film light modulator (50) for use in an electro-optic line printer (11). A light valve utilizes a thin electro-optic film (54) on a substrate (52) with the index of refraction of the film being higher than the substrate so that the light can be guided in it. A laser beam (48) is caused to be guided in the film, the beam expanding sideways so that a sheet of collimated light is provided. This light is guided beneath an array of electrodes (58), consisting of an extended set of individually addressed metal fingers (60a, 60n)-(62a, 62n). The light diffracted by the electrode set is reimaged onto the recording medium (14), with the zero order diffracted light blocked out, so that each electrode pair acts as a light modulator for one picture element on the output. Alternatively, the zero order is reimaged and the higher order diffraction components are blocked out. By applying each bit of a serial stream of data to the corresponding electrode, a line recording is achieved.

Abstract: To effectively reduce or even eliminate the gaps between the electrodes of a fringe field responsive multigate light valve, there are two or more layers of interleaved electrodes stacked on or very near the electro-optic element of the light valve. Fringe fields are effectively coupled into the electro-optic element of the light valve only when there is a suitable voltage drop between neighboring electrodes of adjacent electrode layers. To that end, the electrical impedance between neighboring electrodes within the same layer is selected to be substantially greater than the electrical impedance between neighboring electrodes within adjacent layers.

Abstract: To reduce the complexity and cost of the optics required for electro-optic line printing and similar functions, a multigate light valve having converging electrodes is illuminated by a light beam which converges toward the entrance pupil of the an imaging lens. The electrodes and the light beam converge toward that point with substantially the same angle of convergence so that the light beam effectively remains longitudinally parallel to the electrodes as it passes through the electro-optic element of the light valve.

Abstract: An optical cursor control device or "optical mouse" is disclosed for use with an interactive, display oriented computer system to provide movement for a visible cursor from position to position on a display screen of such a system. The cursor control device provides an output indicative of the amount and direction of movement of the device relative to an orthogonal coordinate system. The device relies on a planar grid pattern comprising orthogonally positioned grid lines of uniform spacing, one line and spacing defining a grid period. Means is provided to illuminate at least a portion of the grid pattern. Sensor array means comprising optical transducers are provided for each orthogonal direction. Each optical transducer has an elongated radiation detecting area to receive radiation from an elongated radiation collecting area at the plane of said grid pattern.

Abstract: In an electro-optic line printer having a light valve comprising an electro-optic element with a plurality of individually addressable electrodes, sample and hold circuits maintain the data samples for each line of an image on the electrodes for essentially a full line printing time to increase the exposure contrast. A multiplexer may be used to ripple the data samples of a serial data stream onto the electrodes, and the polarity of the data samples applied to the electrodes may be occassionally reversed to prevent optical damage to the electro-optic element. Moreover, a pair of longitudinally displaced and laterally staggered electrode arrays may be used in light valves which rely on fringe fields to avoid electrode aligned blind spots.

Abstract: An electrooptical scanning device for deflection of an optical beam of light across an image plane. The device comprises a body of electrooptical crystal material and a periodic array of parallel, spaced electrodes associated with one surface of the body. A light beam entering the crystal body is caused to interact with electric fields established at the one surface by step applied voltages to the electrode array that influence the deflection of the light beam at the moment of total internal reflection at the one surface. By varying the magnitude of the applied voltages across the electrodes, a corresponding approximation of a desired phase retardation can be produced along the phase front of the light beam. The phase retardation across the light beam can be designed to produce a linear phase front angled beam or can be designed to produce a curvalinear phase front forming a focused spot at the image plane.

Abstract: The electrodes of a electro-optic device having a flexible electrode bearing member, such as a silicon integrated circuit, are re-contoured as required to generally conform to the mating surface of the electro-optic element by resiliently biasing the electrode bearing member against that surface. The bias is suitably supplied by a compressed elastomeric pressure pad which underlies the flexible electrode bearing member. The pressure pad is substantially coextensive with the electrode bearing portion of the flexible member so that a more or less uniform bias is applied throughout that area.

Abstract: A thick film line modulator/scanner (50) for use in an electro-optic line printer (14). A light valve utilizes a thin electro-optic layer (212) with the index of refraction of the layer being higher than the neighboring material so that the light can be guided in it. A laser beam (48) is focused into the layer, the beam expanding sideways so that a sheet of collimated light is provided. This light is affected by an array of electrodes (240, 242), consisting of an extended set of individually addressed metal fingers (240) on one side of the film (212), and a broad electrode (242) on the other side of the film. This broad electrode could also be segmented to the individually addressed electrodes. The light diffracted by this electrode set is reimaged onto the recording medium (14) with the zero order diffracted light blocked out, so that each electrode acts as a light modulator for one picture element on the output.