Invention:
This invention employs a means of preventing total internal reflection and allows the beam to exit the material to steer at a wider diffraction angle, increasing the incidence angle of a light beam for spatial light modulators and integrated phase arrays.
Background:
Non-mechanical beam steering requires efficient diffraction and a high angle of incidence. At high angles, the diffracted beam becomes trapped between interfaces and can't exit the material. To allow access to the beam, total internal reflection must be avoided.
Applications:
- Non-mechanial beam steering in need of larger angles of incidence
- LiDAR scanning
- Maskless lithography
- Optical communication
Advantages:
- Provides efficient diffraction
- Produces higher angles of incidence than predecessors
- Efficient with space
Status: issued U.S. patent #12,044,948
