Circuit arrangement for controlling a multi-beam acousto-optical cell in

Abstract

A circuit arrangement for controlling a multi-beam acousto-optical cell in which Bragg diffraction is used for the generation of a plurality of outgoing laser beams, in which the acousto-optical cell has at least one ultrasonic transducer from which the outgoing laser beams are coming out in a common plane, the circuit arrangement comprises VHF or UHF oscillators coupled through respective control stages to the ultrasonic transducers. The frequency of each oscillator defines the diffraction angle of an associated outgoing laser beam the intensity of which is dependent from the amplitude of the oscillator. The passage of the oscillator outputs towards the respective ultrasonic transducers is controlled by the control stages according to predetermined operational requirements. In order to enable the generation of outgoing laser beams with variable diffraction angles within the common plane of the outgoing beams at least one of the high frequency oscillators is designed as an oscillator of variable frequency having a frequency determining input. By means of applying a control voltage to this frequency determining input the diffraction angle of the corresponding outgoing laser beam can be adjusted during operation which has advantages in certain fields of application.