INFRARED 2-DIMENSIONAL ACOUSTOOPTIC DEFLECTOR USING A TELLURIUM CRYSTAL

The first single element 2-D acoustooptic (2DAO) laser beam deflector using a tellurium crystal was designed and fabricated for laser wavelength applications from 5 to 20 um. The giant values of the figure ofmeritMassociated with these two AO interactions equal to 285, 000 X 10-15 s3/kg, are between 2 and 3 orders of magnitude higher than germanium, the next best AO material for 10.6 μm. This latter value indicates that acoustic power densities inside the crystal of the order of 0.1 W/mm 2 are sufficient to diffract 100% of the incident light. The experimental data confirm the predicted 13°/25 MHz deflection slope. The theoretical amplitude and frequency modulation characteristics of the 2DAO deflector are also evaluated. © 1990 Optical Society of America.