US 12,436,242 B2
High contrast MEMS phased-array
Stephen Hamann, Mountain View, CA (US); and Olav Solgaard, Stanford, CA (US)
Assigned to SILICON LIGHT MACHINES CORPORATION, San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by SILICON LIGHT MACHINES CORPORATION, San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 11, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/670,274.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/149,084, filed on Feb. 12, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0260687 A1, Aug. 18, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 7/48 (2006.01); G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G02B 27/09 (2006.01); G02F 1/29 (2006.01); G06T 7/80 (2017.01)
CPC G01S 7/4817 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4815 (2013.01); G02B 27/0916 (2013.01); G02B 27/0927 (2013.01); G02F 1/292 (2013.01); G06T 7/80 (2017.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical system comprising:
a light source;
illumination optics operable to receive light from the light source; and
a number of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) phased-arrays operable to receive a light-beam from the illumination optics, and to reflect the received light-beam to project light project light onto a far-field scene and to steer an area of illumination over the far-field scene by modulating phases of at least some light of the light-beam received from the illumination optics,
wherein the illumination optics is operable to illuminate the number of the MEMS phased-arrays with a light-beam having a Gaussian-profile to minimize side-lobes with respect to a main-lobe in an emission profile of light reflected from the far-field scene in response to the projected light.