Conoptics, Inc. E-O Deflector M311A

The angular deflection of E-O Deflectors is small but has rapid random access response and is extremely precise. Major applications include facet to facet error correction in laser data and image recorders which use spinning mirrors and the generation and stabilization of auxiliary tracks in optical disk mastering machines. Unlike acousto-optic deflectors, the intrinsic random access response of an electro-optic deflector is the optical rather than acoustic transit time. In practice, however, E-O Deflectors appear as capacitive loads and the response is driver limited. The precision with which a laser beam can be located, for all intents and purposes, is equivalent to the precision with which a voltage level can be applied to the device. Since operation is based on an index gradient, variations due to ambient temperature changes are reduced to second order effects. Similarly, unlike acousto-optic deflectors in which the deflection angle is proportional to the optical wavelength, the deflection angle of an electo-optic deflector is a function of the index dispersion and is relatively constant over the wavelength range of operation.