LCD Design For Optical Phased Array

The liquid crystal beam steering has already found
various optical applications such as laser
communication, infrared countermeasures and
telescope imaging. In 1990s, the optical phased
array (OPA) technology is introduced into the beam
steering, which expects simple, affordable,
lightweight optical sensors offering very precise
stabilization, random-access pointing, programmable
multiple simultaneous beams, dynamic focus/defocus
capability, and moderate to excellent optical power
handling capability. In this book, the physics
underlying the limits of a particular type of liquid
crystal beam steering systems are explored. Three
types of beam steering devices that are based on the
use of liquid crystal electro-optical elements
considered in this book are (1) Liquid Crystal
Digital Beam Deflector; (2) Liquid Crystal Optical
Phased Array; (3) Liquid Crystal De-centered Lens
Array. These systems will be introduced and problems
with them will be described and studied. Moreover,
the OPA grating dispersion in broadband beam
steering is also elaborately explored.