Optoelectronic Pod Integrating FSO Communication and Scanning Based on Liquid Crystal Optical Phased Array

Addressing the issues associated with traditional mechanical scanning methods, such as large size, complex and heavy structures, slow response speed, susceptibility to mechanical damage, and high maintenance costs, this paper proposes an all-solid-state beam scanning method based on a liquid crystal phased array(LCOPA). A cascaded wide-angle beam steering model is established, overcoming the limitation of traditional mechanical beam scanning that prevents high-speed jumps, achieving continuous and agile beam steering within a two-dimensional range of -24° to 24°. Additionally, a high-precision beam steering angle compensation scheme and voltage pre-driving technology are proposed, achieving a large-angle beam deflection response time of 5ms, a fine beam deflection fastest response time of
$\mathbf{300}\boldsymbol{\mu}\mathbf{s}$
, and a beam steering accuracy of
$\mathbf{10}\boldsymbol{\mu}\mathbf{rad}$
. The feasibility and correctness of the non-mechanical beam deflection scheme based on the LCOPA are demonstrated, showing promise for high-efficiency non-mechanical laser ATP tracking, high-speed free-space communication, and rapid target detection.