Risley-Prism Based Compact Laser Beam Steering for IRCM, Laser Communications, and Laser Radar

Статья OPTRA Inc. 9 p.OPTRA has recently developed Risley-Prism based solutions for compact laser beam steering applications. Risley prism beam steering systems are smaller, use less power, and weigh less than conventional gimbal-based beam steering systems, which makes them more immune to vibration and able to achieve higher response times and beam steering rates. OPTRA has developed a system for IRCM applications that achieves better than 1 milliradian beam pointing accuracy across 2-4.7 microns over a 110 degree field of regard. The full field response time is 110 milliseconds with peak steering rates greater than 850 degrees per second. The beam steerer is housed in a package 3.2 inches in diameter and 3.5 inches in length, weighs 3.5 lbs, and draws 28 W peak power. OPTRA has also developed a 4 inch aperture beam steering system for free space optical laser communications that operates in the telecom band at 1550 nm. We present a summary of the design and results from testing.