Deformable MEMS mirrors in secure optical communication system

Leah Ziph-Schatzberg; Thomas Bifano; Steven Cornelissen; Jason Stewart; Zvi Bleier

doi:10.1117/12.818831

11 May 2009 Deformable MEMS mirrors in secure optical communication system

Leah Ziph-Schatzberg, Thomas Bifano, Steven Cornelissen, Jason Stewart, Zvi Bleier

Proceedings Volume 7318, Micro- and Nanotechnology Sensors, Systems, and Applications; 73180T (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.818831
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2009, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

An optical communication system suitable for voice communication, data retrieval from remote sensors and identification had been designed, built and tested. The system design allows operation at ranges of several hundred meters. The heart of the system is a modulated MEMS mirror that is electrostatically actuated and changes between a flat reflective state and a corrugated diffractive state. A process for mass producing these mirrors at low cost was developed and implemented. The mirror was incorporated as a facet in a hollow retro-reflector, allowing temporal modulation of an interrogating beam and the return of the modulated beam to the interrogator. This modulator unit thus consists of a low power, small and light communication node with large (about 60°) angular extent. The system's range and pointing are determined by the interrogator /detector / demodulator unit (the transceiver), whereas the communicating node remains small, low power and low cost. This transceiver is comprised of a magnified optical channel to establish line of sight communication, an interrogating laser at 1550nm, an avalanche photo diode to detect the return signal and electronics to drive the laser and demodulate the returned signal and convert it to an audio signal. Voice communication in free space was demonstrated at ranges larger than 200 meters. A new retro-reflector design, incorporating more modulated mirrors had been constructed. This configuration was built and tested. Its performance and advantages as compared to the single mirror retro-reflector are discussed. An alternative system design that allows higher bandwidth data transmission is described

Citation Download Citation

Leah Ziph-Schatzberg, Thomas Bifano, Steven Cornelissen, Jason Stewart, and Zvi Bleier "Deformable MEMS mirrors in secure optical communication system", Proc. SPIE 7318, Micro- and Nanotechnology Sensors, Systems, and Applications, 73180T (11 May 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.818831

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