Electronic beam steering in monolithic grating-surface-emitting diode laser arrays

Abstract

Electronic beam steering has been demonstrated in both one- and two-dimensional injection-coupled grating-surface-emitting diode laser arrays. By appropriately varying the drive current to the electrically independent gain sections of an injection-coupled grating-surface-emitting laser array, the angular position of the far-field output can be steered. Experimental results for two-dimensional surface-emitting arrays are presented, as well as a theoretical model which shows that beam steering is a general property of injection-coupled surface-emitting arrays.