Design and Implementation of MOEMS Based Ground to Satellite Free Space Optical Link Under Turbulence Condition

Abstract

Non-mechanical beam steering techniques are commonly used in free space laser communication systems to avoid the use of massive opto-mechanical components. In this paper, we demonstrate an array-of-arrays of micro-opto-electro-mechanical system (MOEMS) based mirrors as a replacement for a large aperture reflective single-element mirror for ground to satellite optical links along with its associated electronic drive circuitry and FPGA based interface. The performance of the free space optical (FSO) communication link in terms of beam variance under atmospheric turbulence conditions is discussed.