The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 15, 1981
Filed:
Oct. 24, 1979
Richard J Becherer, Concord, MA (US);
Wilfrid B Veldkamp, Lexington, MA (US);
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
Abstract
A system to achieve heterodyne detection of optical (i.e., infrared, visible and ultraviolet) signal wavefront is disclosed. The system employs a holographic phase grating that, when illuminated by laser radiation, will generate a plurality of wavefronts each of which has a predetermined spatial distribution of amplitude and phase. The grating is part of an optical local oscillator that includes a laser that illuminates the holographic phase grating. The system further includes a mechanism to receive an optical-signal wavefronts and combine this wavefront with a plurality of local-oscillator wavefronts to provide combined optical wave fields that are applied as input to an array of discrete detector elements; each detector of the array optimally mixes the one local-oscillator wavefront directed to it with the optical-signal wavefront and generates therefrom an electrical output with optimum detection efficiency and with optimum amplitude and fixed phase relationships to the outputs of the other detectors of the array. The optical heterodyne array detection system produces detection of a plurality of optical-signal, spatial-resolution elements simultaneously.