Mechanically resonant photoelastic modulator for time-of-flight imaging

US12019160B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · US

Inventors

• Okan Atalar · Palo Alto, US
• Amir H. Safavi-Naeini · Palo Alto, US
• Mohammad Amin Arbabian · Stanford, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 19, 2019
• Grant date: Jun 25, 2024
• Expiry date: Oct 21, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S17/58
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An optical modulator with a wide aperture, high acceptance angle, low required drive voltages and high operating frequency is provided. The modulator relies on the photoelastic effect and makes use of mechanical resonance in order to improve efficiency. The acoustic excitation and optical propagation path are nominally co-aligned, so the required symmetry breaking is provided by having the modulator material be optically and/or mechanically anisotropic. Such a modulator can be used to enable efficient and low-cost per-pixel optical ranging and speed sensing.