US 11,747,657 B2
Optical modulator and beam steering system including the same
Sunil Kim, Osan-si (KR); Junghyun Park, Seoul (KR); Duhyun Lee, Yongin-si (KR); and Byunggil Jeong, Anyang-si (KR)
Assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., Suwon-si (KR)
Filed by SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., Suwon-si (KR)
Filed on Mar. 17, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/697,791.
Application 17/697,791 is a continuation of application No. 16/848,433, filed on Apr. 14, 2020, granted, now 11,294,207.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2019-0116871 (KR), filed on Sep. 23, 2019; and application No. 10-2019-0127160 (KR), filed on Oct. 14, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0206322 A1, Jun. 30, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G02F 1/01 (2006.01); G02F 1/015 (2006.01); H01S 5/00 (2006.01); H01S 5/183 (2006.01)
CPC G02F 1/015 (2013.01) [H01S 5/0085 (2013.01); H01S 5/18375 (2013.01); G02F 2202/10 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical modulator comprising:
a plurality of unit cells;
an active layer comprising a plurality of refractive index changing areas that are separated from each other in a horizontal direction, each of the plurality of refractive index changing areas having a refractive index that changes based on an electrical signal applied thereto;
a plurality of antenna patterns provided over the active layer;
an insulating material is provided between each of the plurality of refractive index changing areas to electrically separate the plurality of refractive index changing areas from each other; and
a mirror layer provided under the active layer opposite to the plurality of antenna patterns,
wherein a distance between adjacent refractive index changing areas of the plurality of refractive index changing areas is less than ½ of a width of each of the plurality of refractive index changing areas.