OPTICAL SCANNING DEVICE THAT INCLUDES MIRRORS AND OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE REGION

• Main Authors: INADA, YASUHISA, HASHIYA, AKIRA, HIRASAWA, TAKU
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 31.01.2019
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASURING; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF; TESTING

An optical scanning device includes: a first mirror; a second mirror; two non-waveguide regions; an optical waveguide region; and a first adjusting element. The optical waveguide region propagates light. The optical waveguide region and the two non-waveguide regions include respective first regions in which a common material exists. The optical waveguide region or each of the two non-waveguide regions further includes a second region in which a first material having a refractive index different from a refractive index of the common material exists. The first mirror allows part of the light propagating through the optical waveguide region to be emitted through the first mirror. The first adjusting element changes at least either the average refractive index of the optical waveguide region or a thickness of the optical waveguide region to change a direction of the light emitted through the first mirror.