Active manipulation of light beams is required for a range of emerging optical technologies, including sensing, optical computing, virtual/augmented reality, dynamic holography, and computational imaging.
Researchers at Stanford have developed methods for evaluating the position of a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) device in terms of phase and/or amplitude characteristics.
Stanford researchers have developed a scanning mirror and method for Rhodonea (Rose) scanning patterns, which are superior to Lissajous patterns for almost all imaging and ranging applications.
Stanford researchers have developed a simple optical device for low-power, active light tuning. The device tunes the color of light across the visible spectrum and at select wavelengths by electrical biasing an array of micron sized pixels or nanowires.
Engineers in the Solgaard lab have developed a high-speed, random access grating light valve (GLV) for phase modulation to steer and focus light in LIDAR and 3D imaging applications.
Stanford researchers developed a method to make large phase shifts with little or no power dissipation in integrated optics. The approach uses a directional coupler moved by a MEMS actuator to achieve a path delay, i.e. an effective change in refractive index.