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:
May. 28, 1991
Filed:
Jan. 03, 1989
Terry A Dorschner, Newton Centre, MA (US);
Raytheon Company, Lexington, MA (US);
Abstract
An optical beam phase shifter includes a liquid crystal cell having a common electrode on a first window and a multiplicity of parallel stripe electrodes on a second window. A multiplicity of control signals are applied between the individual stripe electrodes and the common electrode, thereby creating local variations of the refractive index of the liquid crystal molecules therebetween, which variations cause differential phase shifts across the cross section of a light beam incident thereon. An optically-refractive element, having an index of refraction greater than the index of refraction of the liquid crystal cell, is interposed between the beam and the liquid crystal cell. The refractive element, illustratively a prism, increases the angle of incidence of the beam entering the cell, thereby increasing the beam travel distance through the liquid crystal molecules. The disclosed structure allows the use of a thinner layer of liquid crystal molecules, and hence, improved response time of the optical beam phase shifter to changes in the control signals, and reduced fringing effects between stripe electrodes.