WO2018061231A1 - Optical scan device, optical reception device, and waveguide array - Google Patents

Abstract

A waveguide array is provided with a plurality of first waveguides arranged in a first direction. Each of the plurality of first waveguides is provided with an optical waveguide layer through which light propagates in a second direction crossing the first direction or a direction opposite to the second direction, a first mirror which has a first reflection surface crossing a third direction, and extends in the second direction, and a second mirror which has a second reflection surface facing the first reflection surface of the first mirror, and extends in the second direction. The third direction crosses a virtual plane parallel to the first and second directions. The optical waveguide layer is located between the first mirror and the second mirror. The refractive index and/or thickness of the optical waveguide layer changes. The first mirror has a higher optical transmittance than the second mirror, transmits part of the light propagating through the optical waveguide layer and emits the transmitted light in the third direction from the opposite side to the first reflection surface.

Description

Optical scanning device, optical receiving device, and waveguide array

The present disclosure relates to an optical scanning device, an optical receiving device, and a waveguide array.

Conventionally, various devices that can scan a space with light have been proposed. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that can perform scanning with light using a driving device that rotates a mirror.

Patent Document 2 discloses an optical phased array having a plurality of nanophotonic antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally. Each antenna element is optically coupled to a variable optical delay line (ie, a phase shifter). In this optical phased array, a coherent light beam is guided to each antenna element by a waveguide, and the phase of the light beam is shifted by a phase shifter. Thereby, it is disclosed that the amplitude distribution of the far-field radiation pattern can be changed.

Patent Document 3 discloses an optical waveguide layer in which light is guided, a waveguide including a first distributed Bragg reflector formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the optical waveguide layer, and light for entering the waveguide. An optical deflecting element is disclosed that includes a light incident port and a light exit port formed on the surface of the waveguide for emitting light incident from the light incident port and guided in the waveguide.

International Publication No. 2013/168266 Special table 2016-508235 gazette JP 2013-16491 A

The present disclosure provides a novel waveguide array and an optical scanning device that can realize scanning by light with a relatively simple configuration. The present disclosure further provides an optical receiving device having the same configuration as the optical scanning device.

An optical scanning device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a waveguide array including a plurality of first waveguides arranged in a first direction, and a first adjustment element. Each of the plurality of first waveguides intersects a third direction with an optical waveguide layer that propagates light in a second direction that intersects the first direction or in a direction opposite to the second direction. A first mirror extending in the second direction, a second reflecting surface facing the first reflecting surface of the first mirror, and the second reflecting surface. A second mirror extending in the direction of. The third direction intersects a virtual plane parallel to the first and second directions. The optical waveguide layer is located between the first mirror and the second mirror. At least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer changes. The first mirror has a light transmittance higher than that of the second mirror, transmits a part of the light propagating in the optical waveguide layer, and transmits the part from the opposite side of the first reflecting surface. The light is emitted in the third direction. The first adjustment element is an emission direction of the part of the light by changing at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer in each of the plurality of first waveguides. The third direction is changed.

A comprehensive or specific aspect of the present disclosure may be realized by a waveguide array, a device, an apparatus, a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, a recording medium, or any combination thereof.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, scanning with light can be realized.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration of an optical scanning device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a cross-sectional structure of one waveguide element 10 and an example of propagating light. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a calculation model used in the simulation. Figure 4A is a diagram showing a result of thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20 has calculated the relationship between the refractive index n _w of the optical waveguide layer 20 in the case of 704 nm, and the emission angle θ of mode number m = 1 of the light is there. Figure 4B is a diagram showing a result of thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20 has calculated the relationship between the refractive index n _w of the optical waveguide layer 20 in the case of 446 nm, and the emission angle θ of mode number m = 1 of the light is there. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a cross-section of a waveguide array that emits light in a direction perpendicular to the exit surface of the waveguide array. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a cross section of the waveguide array that emits light in a direction different from a direction perpendicular to the exit surface of the waveguide array. FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a waveguide array in a three-dimensional space. FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram showing how diffracted light is emitted from the waveguide array when p is larger than λ. FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which diffracted light is emitted from the waveguide array when p is smaller than λ. FIG. 7C is a schematic diagram showing how diffracted light is emitted from the waveguide array in the case of p? Λ / 2. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which the phase shifter 80 is directly connected to the waveguide element 10. FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the waveguide array 10A and the phase shifter array 80A viewed from the normal direction (Z direction) of the light exit surface. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a configuration in which the waveguide in the phase shifter 80 is connected to the optical waveguide layer 20 in the waveguide element 10 via another waveguide 85. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which a plurality of phase shifters 80 arranged in cascade in the optical splitter 90 are inserted. FIG. 12A is a perspective view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the first adjustment element 60. FIG. 12B is a perspective view schematically showing another configuration example of the first adjustment element 60. FIG. 12C is a perspective view schematically showing still another configuration example of the adjustment element 60. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which the adjustment element 60 including the heater 68 made of a material having high electrical resistance and the waveguide element 10 are combined. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration example in which the mirror 30 is held by a support member 70 made of a material that is easily deformed. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which the mirrors 30 and / or 40 are moved by electrostatic force generated between the electrodes. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which the electrodes 62 that generate the attractive force are arranged at positions that do not hinder the propagation of light. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a piezoelectric element 72 including a piezoelectric material. FIG. 18A is a view showing a configuration example of a support member 74a having a unimorph structure using the piezoelectric element 72 shown in FIG. FIG. 18B is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the support member 74 a is deformed by applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element 72. FIG. 19A is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a support member 74b having a bimorph structure using the piezoelectric element 72 illustrated in FIG. FIG. 19B is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the support member 74a is deformed by applying a voltage to the piezoelectric elements 72 on both sides. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of an actuator in which the support members 74a illustrated in FIG. 18A are arranged on both sides of the mirror 30. FIG. 21A is a diagram for explaining a tip inclination generated in a unimorph type actuator. FIG. 21B is a diagram showing an example in which two unimorph-type support members 74a having different directions of expansion and contraction are connected in series. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which a support member (that is, an auxiliary substrate) 52 that holds a plurality of first mirrors 30 is collectively driven by an actuator. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which the first mirror 30 in the plurality of waveguide elements 10 is a single plate-shaped mirror. FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which the wiring 64 is commonly extracted from the electrodes 62 of the respective waveguide elements 10. FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which some of the electrodes 62 and the wirings 64 are shared. FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which a common electrode 62 is disposed for a plurality of waveguide elements 10. FIG. 27 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a configuration in which a large area for arranging the phase shifter array 80A is secured and the waveguide array is integrated small. FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which two phase shifter arrays 80Aa and 80Ab are arranged on both sides of the waveguide array 10A. FIG. 29A is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a waveguide array in which the arrangement direction d1 of the waveguide elements 10 and the direction d2 in which the waveguide elements 10 extend are not orthogonal to each other. FIG. 29B is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a waveguide array in which the arrangement interval of the waveguide elements 10 is not constant. FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the optical scanning device 100 in which elements such as the optical branching device 90, the waveguide array 10A, the phase shifter array 80A, and the light source 130 are integrated on a circuit board (that is, a chip). FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which a two-dimensional scan is performed by irradiating a light beam such as a laser far away from the optical scanning device 100. FIG. 32 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a rider (LiDAR) system 300.

Before explaining the embodiments of the present disclosure, the knowledge that is the basis of the present disclosure will be described.

The present inventors have found that the conventional optical scanning device has a problem that it is not possible to two-dimensionally scan a space with light without complicating the configuration of the apparatus.

For example, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a drive device that rotates a mirror. For this reason, the structure of an apparatus becomes complicated and there exists a subject that it is not robust with respect to a vibration.

In the optical phased array described in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to branch light and introduce it into a plurality of column waveguides and a plurality of row waveguides, and to guide the light to a plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally. . For this reason, the wiring of the waveguide for guiding light becomes very complicated. In addition, the range of the two-dimensional scan cannot be increased. Further, in order to change the amplitude distribution of the emitted light in the far field two-dimensionally, a phase shifter is connected to each of a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged antenna elements, and a phase control wiring is connected to each phase shifter. It is necessary to install. Thereby, the phase of the light incident on the plurality of antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally is changed by different amounts. For this reason, the structure of an element becomes very complicated.

According to the configuration of Patent Document 3, by changing the wavelength of light incident on the light deflection element, it is possible to scan one-dimensionally greatly with the emitted light. However, it cannot be scanned two-dimensionally. Further, a mechanism for changing the wavelength of light incident on the light polarizing element is necessary. When such a mechanism is incorporated in a light source such as a laser, there is a problem that the structure of the light source becomes complicated.

The present inventors focused on the above-mentioned problems in the prior art and examined a configuration for solving these problems. The present inventors have found that the above problem can be solved by using an array of a plurality of waveguide elements each having a pair of opposing mirrors and an optical waveguide layer sandwiched between the mirrors. .

One of the pair of mirrors in each waveguide element has a higher light transmittance than the other, and emits part of the light propagating through the optical waveguide layer to the outside. The direction (or emission angle) of the emitted light can be changed by adjusting at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer, as will be described later. More specifically, the component in the direction along the optical waveguide layer of the wave vector of the emitted light can be changed by changing the refractive index and / or the thickness. Thereby, a one-dimensional scan is realized.

Furthermore, by giving an appropriate phase difference to the light supplied to the plurality of waveguide elements and adjusting the phase difference, the direction in which the light emitted from the plurality of waveguide elements strengthens can be changed. Due to the change in the phase difference, the component of the wave vector of the emitted light in the direction intersecting the direction along the optical waveguide layer changes. Thereby, a two-dimensional scan can be realized. Even when two-dimensional scanning is performed, it is not necessary to change at least one of the refractive index and thickness of the plurality of optical waveguide layers by different amounts. That is, by giving an appropriate phase difference to the light supplied to the plurality of optical waveguide layers, and changing at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the plurality of optical waveguide layers synchronously by the same amount, two-dimensional A scan can be performed. As described above, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, two-dimensional scanning with light can be realized with a relatively simple configuration.

The above basic principle can be applied not only to the use of emitting light but also to the use of receiving optical signals. By changing at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of each optical waveguide layer, the direction of light that can be received can be changed one-dimensionally. Furthermore, if the phase difference of light is changed by a plurality of phase shifters respectively connected to a plurality of waveguide elements, the direction of light that can be received can be changed two-dimensionally.

The optical scanning device and the optical receiving device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be used as an antenna in a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system, for example. Since the LiDAR system uses short-wave electromagnetic waves (visible light, infrared light, or ultraviolet light) as compared with a radar system using radio waves such as millimeter waves, the distance distribution of an object can be detected with high resolution. Such a LiDAR system is mounted on a mobile body such as an automobile, a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, so-called drone), an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle), and can be used as one of collision avoidance techniques.

An optical scanning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a waveguide array including a plurality of first waveguides arranged in a first direction, and a first adjustment element. Each of the plurality of first waveguides intersects a third direction with an optical waveguide layer that propagates light in a second direction that intersects the first direction or in a direction opposite to the second direction. A first mirror extending in the second direction, a second reflecting surface facing the first reflecting surface of the first mirror, and the second reflecting surface. A second mirror extending in the direction of. The third direction intersects a virtual plane parallel to the first and second directions. The optical waveguide layer is located between the first mirror and the second mirror. At least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer changes. The first mirror has a light transmittance higher than that of the second mirror, transmits a part of the light propagating in the optical waveguide layer, and transmits the part from the opposite side of the first reflecting surface. The light is emitted in the third direction. The first adjustment element is an emission direction of the part of the light by changing at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer in each of the plurality of first waveguides. The third direction is changed.

The first adjustment element may synchronously change the same amount of at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the plurality of optical waveguide layers of the plurality of first waveguides.

The plurality of first mirrors of the plurality of first waveguides may be a plurality of portions of a third mirror that are integrally formed.

The plurality of second mirrors of the plurality of first waveguides may be a plurality of portions of a fourth mirror configured integrally.

The plurality of optical waveguide layers of the plurality of first waveguides may be a plurality of portions of the second optical waveguide layer that are integrally formed.

When the component in the second direction of the partial wave vector of the light emitted in the third direction is an X component and the component in the first direction is a Y component, the first adjustment element is The X component of the wave vector may be changed by changing at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer in each of the plurality of first waveguides. The Y component of the wave vector may change when the phase difference of light supplied to two adjacent first waveguides of the plurality of first waveguides changes.

The optical scanning device includes a plurality of phase shifters directly or indirectly connected to the plurality of first waveguides, and light supplied from the plurality of phase shifters to the plurality of first waveguides. A second adjustment element that changes the phase difference of the light supplied to the two adjacent first waveguides of the plurality of first waveguides by changing the phase of each of the plurality of first waveguides. Further, it may be provided.

The optical scanning device may further include a plurality of second waveguides disposed between the plurality of first waveguides and the plurality of phase shifters. Each of the plurality of phase shifters may include a third waveguide connected to the optical waveguide layer via a second waveguide corresponding to the phase shifter.

Each of the plurality of phase shifters may include a material whose refractive index changes in response to voltage application or temperature change.

The second adjustment element changes a refractive index of the third waveguide by applying a voltage to the third waveguide or changing a temperature of the third waveguide, and The phase of the light supplied from the phase shifter to the plurality of first waveguides may be changed.

When the component in the second direction of the partial wave vector of the light emitted in the third direction is an X component and the component in the first direction is a Y component, the first adjustment element is The X component of the wave vector may be changed. The second adjustment element may change the Y component of the wave vector.

A part of the plurality of phase shifters may supply light from the second direction to a part of the plurality of first waveguides. The other part of the plurality of phase shifters may supply light to the other part of the plurality of first waveguides from a direction opposite to the second direction.

The optical scanning device may further include a light source that emits light having a wavelength λ in free space, and an optical splitter that branches the light from the light source and supplies the light to the plurality of phase shifters.

Each of the plurality of phase shifters has a third reflecting surface that intersects the third direction, extends in the second direction, and the third reflection of the fifth mirror. And a sixth mirror having a fourth reflecting surface facing the surface and extending in the second direction. The fifth mirror may be connected to the first mirror corresponding to the fifth mirror. The sixth mirror may be connected to the second mirror corresponding to the sixth mirror. The plurality of phase shifters may be directly connected to the plurality of first waveguides, respectively. The light transmittance of the fifth and sixth mirrors may be lower than the light transmittance of the first mirror.

The first direction may be orthogonal to the second direction.

The plurality of first waveguides may be arranged at equal intervals in the first direction.

A center-to-center distance in the first direction of two adjacent first waveguides of the plurality of first waveguides is p, and the optical waveguide layer in each of the plurality of first waveguides is When the center wavelength of the propagating light in the free space is λ, the relationship of λ / 2 ≦ p ≦ λ / sin 10 ^o may be satisfied.

At least one of the first and second mirrors may include a dielectric multilayer film.

The optical waveguide layer may include a first material that changes a refractive index with respect to the light propagating through the optical waveguide layer when a voltage is applied. The first adjustment element includes first and second electrodes sandwiching the optical waveguide layer, and changes a refractive index of the optical waveguide layer by applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes. May be.

The first material may be a semiconductor material. The first electrode may include a p-type semiconductor. The second electrode may include an n-type semiconductor. The first adjustment element may change the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer by injecting carriers into the semiconductor material by applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes.

The first electrode may include a first conductive material. The p-type semiconductor may be disposed between the first conductive material and the optical waveguide layer. The second electrode may include a second conductive material. The n-type semiconductor may be disposed between the second conductive material and the optical waveguide layer.

The optical waveguide layer may further include a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor. The first material may be a semiconductor material. The p-type semiconductor may be disposed between the first electrode and the semiconductor material. The n-type semiconductor may be disposed between the second electrode and the semiconductor material.

The first material may be an electro-optic material. The first adjustment element may change the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer by applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes.

The first material may be a liquid crystal material. The first adjustment element may change the refractive index anisotropy of the liquid crystal material and change the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer by applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes. .

The optical waveguide layer may include a thermo-optic material whose refractive index changes with a change in temperature. The first adjustment element includes first and second electrodes sandwiching the optical waveguide layer, and applies voltage to the first and second electrodes to heat the thermo-optic material, thereby causing the optical waveguide. The refractive index of the layer may be changed.

The optical waveguide layer may include a thermo-optic material whose refractive index changes with a change in temperature. The first adjustment element may include a heater, and the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer may be changed by heating the thermo-optic material with the heater.

The optical waveguide layer may include a gas or liquid material. The first adjustment element may include an actuator connected to at least one of the first mirror and the second mirror. The actuator may change the thickness of the optical waveguide layer by changing a distance between the first mirror and the second mirror.

The actuator may include first and second electrodes. The first electrode may be fixed to the first mirror. The second electrode may be fixed to the second mirror. The actuator may change the distance between the first mirror and the second mirror by applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes to generate an electrostatic force between the electrodes. .

The actuator may include a piezoelectric material, and the distance between the first mirror and the second mirror may be changed by deforming the piezoelectric material.

The actuator includes a support member that supports the first mirror or the second mirror, and changes the distance between the first mirror and the second mirror by moving the support member. May be.

The plurality of first mirrors of the plurality of first waveguides or the plurality of second mirrors of the plurality of first waveguides may be portions of a plate-like third mirror. Good.

The actuator may change the distance between the first mirror and the second mirror by moving the third mirror.

The plurality of first mirrors of the plurality of first waveguides may be a plurality of portions of a plate-like third mirror. The plurality of second mirrors of the plurality of second waveguides may be a plurality of portions of a plate-like fourth mirror. The actuator may change the distance between the first mirror and the second mirror by moving at least one of the third mirror and the fourth mirror.

An optical receiving device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a waveguide array including a plurality of first waveguides arranged in a first direction, and a first adjustment element. Each of the plurality of first waveguides has an optical waveguide layer and a first reflecting surface that intersects the third direction, and extends in a second direction that intersects the first direction. And a second mirror having a second reflecting surface facing the first reflecting surface of the first mirror and extending in the second direction. The third direction intersects a virtual plane parallel to the first and second directions. The optical waveguide layer is located between the first mirror and the second mirror. At least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer changes. The first mirror has a higher light transmittance than the second mirror, and transmits light incident on the opposite side of the first reflecting surface from the third direction. The optical waveguide layer propagates the light transmitted through the first mirror in the second direction or a direction opposite to the second direction. The first adjustment element changes the third direction, which is the incident direction of the light, by changing at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer.

The first adjustment element may synchronously change the same amount of at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the plurality of optical waveguide layers of the plurality of first waveguides.

The plurality of first mirrors of the plurality of first waveguides may be a plurality of portions of a third mirror that are integrally formed. The plurality of second mirrors of the plurality of first waveguides may be a plurality of portions of a fourth mirror that are integrally formed.

The plurality of optical waveguide layers of the plurality of first waveguides may be a plurality of portions of the second optical waveguide layer that are integrally formed.

The optical receiving device changes a phase difference between a plurality of phase shifters connected to the plurality of first waveguides and light output from the plurality of waveguide elements through the plurality of phase shifters. And a second adjustment element that changes the direction of light that can be received. Each of the plurality of phase shifters may be directly connected to the optical waveguide layer of the waveguide corresponding to the phase shifter. Each of the plurality of phase shifters may be connected to the optical waveguide layer of the waveguide element corresponding to the phase shifter via a second waveguide.

When the second direction component of the wave vector of light incident on the plurality of first waveguides is an X component and the first direction component is a Y component, the first adjustment element receives The X component of the wave vector of possible light may be changed, and the second adjustment element may change the Y component of the wave vector of light that can be received.

In the present disclosure, “light” refers to electromagnetic waves including not only visible light (wavelength of about 400 nm to about 700 nm) but also ultraviolet light (wavelength of about 10 nm to about 400 nm) and infrared light (wavelength of about 700 nm to about 1 mm). means. In this specification, ultraviolet rays may be referred to as “ultraviolet light” and infrared rays may be referred to as “infrared light”.

In the present disclosure, “scanning” with light means changing the direction of light. “One-dimensional scan” means changing the direction of light linearly along a direction intersecting the direction. “Two-dimensional scan” means that the direction of light is changed two-dimensionally along a plane intersecting the direction.

Hereinafter, more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of already well-known matters and overlapping descriptions for substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following description from becoming unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. In addition, the inventors provide the accompanying drawings and the following description in order for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims. Absent. In the following description, the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration of an optical scanning device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The optical scanning device 100 includes a waveguide array including a plurality of waveguide elements 10 regularly arranged in a first direction (Y direction in FIG. 1). The plurality of waveguide elements 10 are an example of a plurality of first waveguides. Each of the plurality of waveguide elements 10 has a shape extending in a second direction (X direction in FIG. 1) intersecting the first direction.

The plurality of waveguide elements 10 emit light in a third direction D3 intersecting a plane formed by the first and second directions while propagating light in the second direction. The plane formed by the first and second directions is a virtual plane parallel to the first and second directions. In the present embodiment, the first direction (Y direction) and the second direction (X direction) are orthogonal to each other, but they may not be orthogonal to each other. In the present embodiment, the plurality of waveguide elements 10 are arranged at equal intervals in the Y direction, but are not necessarily arranged at equal intervals.

It should be noted that the orientation of the structure shown in the drawings of the present application is set in consideration of the ease of explanation, and does not limit the orientation when the embodiment of the present disclosure is actually implemented. Further, the shape and size of the whole or a part of the structure shown in the drawings do not limit the actual shape and size.

Each of the plurality of waveguide elements 10 includes a first mirror 30 and a second mirror 40 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as mirrors) facing each other, and an optical waveguide layer positioned between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40. 20. Each of the mirrors 30 and 40 has a reflection surface intersecting with the third direction D3 at the interface with the optical waveguide layer 20. The mirrors 30 and 40 and the optical waveguide layer 20 have a shape extending in the second direction (X direction).

As will be described later, the plurality of first mirrors 30 of the plurality of waveguide elements 10 may be a plurality of portions of the third mirror that are integrally formed. Further, the plurality of second mirrors 40 of the plurality of waveguide elements 10 may be a plurality of portions of a fourth mirror that are integrally formed. Further, the plurality of optical waveguide layers 20 of the plurality of waveguide elements 10 may be a plurality of portions of the second optical waveguide layer configured integrally. At least (1) each first mirror 30 is configured separately from the other first mirror 30, or (2) each second mirror 40 is configured separately from the other second mirror 40. (3) Since each optical waveguide layer 20 is configured separately from the other optical waveguide layers 20, a plurality of waveguides can be formed. “Constructed separately” includes not only physically providing a space but also sandwiching and separating materials having different refractive indexes between them.

The reflective surface of the first mirror 30 (an example of the first reflective surface) and the reflective surface of the second mirror 40 (an example of the second reflective surface) face each other substantially in parallel. Of the two mirrors 30 and 40, at least the first mirror 30 has a characteristic of transmitting a part of the light propagating through the optical waveguide layer 20. In other words, the first mirror 30 has a higher light transmittance than the second mirror 40 for the light. For this reason, a part of the light propagating through the optical waveguide layer 20 passes through the first mirror 30 and is emitted to the outside from the opposite side of the reflection surface. Such mirrors 30 and 40 may be multilayer mirrors formed by dielectric multilayer films, for example.

By controlling the phase of the light input to each waveguide element 10, and further changing at least one of the refractive index and thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20 in these waveguide elements 10 synchronously (simultaneously), Two-dimensional scanning with light can be realized.

In order to realize such a two-dimensional scan, the present inventors have analyzed in detail the operation principle of the waveguide element 10. Based on the result, the two-dimensional scan by light was succeeded by driving the plurality of waveguide elements 10 synchronously.

As shown in FIG. 1, when light is input to each waveguide element 10, light is emitted from the emission surface of each waveguide element 10. The emission surface is located on the opposite side of the reflection surface of the first mirror 30. The direction D3 of the emitted light depends on the refractive index, thickness, and light wavelength of the optical waveguide layer. In the present embodiment, at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of each optical waveguide layer is controlled synchronously so that the light emitted from each waveguide element 10 is substantially in the same direction. Thereby, the component in the X direction of the wave number vector of the light emitted from the plurality of waveguide elements 10 can be changed. In other words, the direction D3 of the emitted light can be changed along the direction 101 shown in FIG.

Furthermore, since the light emitted from the plurality of waveguide elements 10 is directed in the same direction, the emitted lights interfere with each other. By controlling the phase of the light emitted from each waveguide element 10, the direction in which the light is strengthened by interference can be changed. For example, when a plurality of waveguide elements 10 having the same size are arranged at equal intervals in the Y direction, light having different phases by a certain amount is input to the plurality of waveguide elements 10. By changing the phase difference, the Y-direction component of the wave number vector of the emitted light can be changed. In other words, by changing the phase difference of the light introduced into the plurality of waveguide elements 10, the direction D3 in which the emitted light is strengthened by interference can be changed along the direction 102 shown in FIG. . Thereby, two-dimensional scanning with light can be realized.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation principle of the optical scanning device 100 in the present embodiment will be described in more detail.

<Operation principle of waveguide element>
FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a cross-sectional structure of one waveguide element 10 and an example of propagating light. In FIG. 2, a cross section parallel to the XZ plane of the waveguide element 10 is schematically shown with the direction perpendicular to the X direction and the Y direction shown in FIG. In the waveguide element 10, a pair of mirrors 30 and 40 are disposed so as to sandwich the optical waveguide layer 20. Light 22 introduced from one end in the X direction of the optical waveguide layer 20 is provided with a first mirror 30 and a lower surface (lower surface in FIG. 2) provided on the upper surface (upper surface in FIG. 2) of the optical waveguide layer 20. ) Propagates in the optical waveguide layer 20 while being repeatedly reflected. The light transmittance of the first mirror 30 is higher than the light transmittance of the second mirror 40. For this reason, a part of light can be mainly output from the first mirror 30.

In a waveguide such as a normal optical fiber, light propagates along the waveguide while repeating total reflection. On the other hand, in the waveguide element 10 in the present embodiment, light propagates while being repeatedly reflected by the mirrors 30 and 40 disposed above and below the optical waveguide layer 20. For this reason, there is no restriction on the light propagation angle (incident angle at the interface between the mirror 30 or 40 and the optical waveguide layer 20), and light incident on the mirror 30 or 40 at an angle closer to the perpendicular can also propagate. . That is, light incident on the interface can be propagated at an angle smaller than the critical angle of total reflection (that is, an angle closer to vertical). For this reason, the traveling speed (group speed) of light in the light propagation direction is significantly lower than the speed of light in free space. As a result, the waveguide element 10 has a property that the light propagation conditions greatly change with respect to changes in the wavelength of light, the thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20, and the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer 20.

The propagation of light in the waveguide element 10 will be described in more detail. The refractive index of the optical waveguide layer 20 is n _w , and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20 is d. Here, the thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20 is the size of the optical waveguide layer 20 in the normal direction of the reflection surface of the mirror 30 or 40. Considering the interference condition of light, propagation angle theta _w of light of wavelength λ satisfies the following equation (1).

m is the mode order. Expression (1) corresponds to the condition that the light in the optical waveguide layer 20 forms a standing wave in the thickness direction. When the wavelength lambda _g of the optical waveguide layer 20 is lambda / _{n w,} wavelength lambda _g in the thickness direction of the optical waveguide layer 20 _'may be considered to be _{λ / (n w cosθ w)} . When the thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20 is equal to an integral multiple of half of the wavelength λ _{g ′} in the thickness direction of the optical waveguide layer 20 λ / (2n _w cos θ _w ), a standing wave is formed. Equation (1) is obtained from this condition. In Equation (1), m represents the number of anti-nodes of the standing wave.

When the mirrors 30 and 40 are multilayer mirrors, light also enters the inside of the mirror during reflection. For this reason, strictly speaking, it is necessary to add a term corresponding to the optical path length corresponding to the amount of light intrusion to the left side of Equation (1). However, since the influence of the refractive index _nw and the thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20 is much larger than the influence of the light intrusion into the mirror, the basic operation can be explained by the equation (1).

The emission angle θ when light propagating in the optical waveguide layer 20 is emitted to the outside (typically air) through the first mirror 30 is expressed by the following equation (2) according to Snell's law. Can be described.

In the expression (2), the wavelength λ / sin θ in the plane direction of light on the air side is equal to the wavelength λ / (n _w sin θ _w ) in the propagation direction of light on the waveguide element 10 side on the light exit surface. Obtained from conditions.

From Expression (1) and Expression (2), the emission angle θ can be described as the following Expression (3).

As can be seen from the equation (3), the light emission direction can be changed by changing any one of the light wavelength λ, the refractive index n _{w of} the optical waveguide layer 20, and the thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20.

For example, when n _w = 2, d = 387 nm, λ = 1550 nm, and m = 1, the emission angle is 0 °. From this state, when the refractive index is changed to n _w = 2.2, the emission angle changes to about 66 °. On the other hand, when the thickness is changed to d = 420 nm without changing the refractive index, the emission angle changes to about 51 °. If the wavelength is changed to λ = 1500 nm without changing the refractive index and thickness, the emission angle changes to about 30 °. Thus, by changing any of the wavelength λ of light, the refractive index n _{w of} the optical waveguide layer 20, and the thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20, the light emission direction can be greatly changed.

Using this principle, it is conceivable to control the light emission direction by providing wavelength variable means for changing the wavelength of light propagating in the optical waveguide layer 20. However, when the wavelength variable means is incorporated in a light source such as a laser, the configuration of the light source becomes complicated. Therefore, the optical scanning device 100 in the present embodiment controls the light emission direction by controlling one or both of the refractive index _nw and the thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20. In this embodiment, the wavelength λ of light does not change during operation and is kept constant.

The wavelength λ is not particularly limited. For example, the wavelength λ is a wavelength range of 400 nm to 1100 nm (visible light to near infrared light), which can obtain high detection sensitivity with a photodetector or image sensor that detects light by absorbing light with general silicon (Si). Can be included. In another example, the wavelength λ may be included in the near infrared light wavelength region of 1260 nm to 1625 nm with relatively small transmission loss in the optical fiber or Si waveguide. Note that these wavelength ranges are examples. The wavelength range of the light used is not limited to the wavelength range of visible light or infrared light, and may be, for example, the wavelength range of ultraviolet light. In this embodiment, the wavelength is not controlled, but in addition to the control of the refractive index and / or the thickness, the control of changing the wavelength may be performed.

The present inventors verified by optical analysis whether light can be emitted in a specific direction as described above. The optical analysis was performed by calculation using DiffractMOD of Cybernet. This is a simulation based on rigorous coupled wave theory (RCWA: Rigorous Coupled-Wave Analysis), and the effect of wave optics can be accurately calculated.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a calculation model used in this simulation. In this calculation model, the second mirror 40, the optical waveguide layer 20, and the first mirror 30 are stacked in this order on the substrate 50. Both the first mirror 30 and the second mirror 40 are multilayer mirrors including a dielectric multilayer film. The second mirror 40 has a structure in which a low refractive index layer 42 having a relatively low refractive index and a high refractive index layer 44 having a relatively high refractive index are alternately stacked in six layers (12 layers in total). The first mirror 30 has a structure in which two low refractive index layers 42 and two high refractive index layers 44 are alternately stacked (four layers in total). The optical waveguide layer 20 is disposed between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40. The medium other than the waveguide element 10 and the substrate 50 is air.

Using this model, the optical response to incident light was examined while changing the incident angle of light. This corresponds to examining how much the incident light from the air and the optical waveguide layer 20 are coupled. Under the condition that the incident light is combined with the optical waveguide layer 20, the reverse process in which the light propagated through the optical waveguide layer 20 is emitted to the outside also occurs. Therefore, obtaining the incident angle when the incident light is combined with the optical waveguide layer 20 corresponds to obtaining the emission angle when the light propagated through the optical waveguide layer 20 is emitted to the outside.

When incident light is combined with the optical waveguide layer 20, loss due to light absorption and scattering occurs in the optical waveguide layer 20. That is, under conditions where a large loss occurs, incident light is strongly coupled to the optical waveguide layer 20. If there is no loss of light due to absorption or the like, the sum of the light transmittance and the reflectance is 1, but if there is a loss, the sum of the transmittance and the reflectance is less than 1. In this calculation, in order to incorporate the effect of light absorption, an imaginary part is introduced into the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer 20, and a value obtained by subtracting the sum of transmittance and reflectance from 1 is calculated as the magnitude of loss.

In this simulation, it is assumed that the substrate 50 is Si, the low refractive index layer 42 is SiO ₂ (thickness 267 nm), and the high refractive index layer 44 is Si (thickness 108 nm). The magnitude of loss when light having a wavelength λ = 1.55 μm was incident at various angles was calculated.

Figure 4A shows the results of the thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20 has calculated the relationship between the refractive index n _w of the optical waveguide layer 20, and the exit angle θ of the mode number m = 1 of light in the case of 704nm . The white line indicates that the loss is large. As shown in FIG. 4A, the emission angle of light of mode order m = 1 is θ = 0 ° near n _w = 2.2. An example of a material having a refractive index close to n _w = 2.2 is lithium niobate.

Figure 4B shows the results of the thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20 has calculated the relationship between the refractive index n _w of the optical waveguide layer 20, and the exit angle θ of the mode number m = 1 of light in the case of 446nm . As shown in FIG. 4B, the exit angle of light of mode order m = 1 is θ = 0 ° in the vicinity of n _w = 3.45. An example of the substance having a refractive index close to n _w = 3.45 includes silicon (Si).

Thus, by adjusting the thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20, with respect to the refractive index n _w of the particular optical waveguide layer 20, the emitting angle θ of light of a particular mode number (e.g. m = 1) It can be designed to be 0 °.

As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, it was confirmed that the emission angle θ greatly changes according to the change in the refractive index. As will be described later, the refractive index can be changed by various methods such as carrier injection, electro-optic effect, and thermo-optic effect. The change of the refractive index by such a method is not so large as about 0.1. For this reason, it has been thought that the emission angle does not change so much with such a small change in refractive index. However, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, in the vicinity of the refractive index where the emission angle becomes θ = 0 °, the emission angle θ may change from 0 ° to about 30 ° when the refractive index increases by 0.1. all right. As described above, in the waveguide element 10 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to largely adjust the emission angle even if the refractive index change is small.

Similarly, as can be seen from the comparison between FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, it was confirmed that the emission angle θ greatly changes according to the change in the thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20. As will be described later, the thickness d can be changed by an actuator connected to at least one of the two mirrors, for example. Even if the change of the thickness d is small, the emission angle can be adjusted to be large.

Thus, in order to change the direction of the light emitted from the waveguide element 10, the refractive index _nw and / or the thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20 may be changed. In order to realize this, the optical scanning device 100 in the present embodiment includes a first adjustment element that changes at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20 in each waveguide element 10. A configuration example of the first adjustment element will be described later.

As described above, when the waveguide element 10 is used, the light emission direction can be greatly changed by changing at least one of the refractive index _nw and the thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20. However, the emission angle of the light emitted from the mirror 30 can be changed only in the direction along the waveguide element 10 and cannot be changed in the arrangement direction of the waveguide elements 10. That is, the light cannot be scanned two-dimensionally with only the single waveguide element 10.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a waveguide array in which a plurality of waveguide elements 10 are arranged is used. When the phase of light propagating through the plurality of waveguide elements satisfies a specific condition, the light is emitted in a specific direction. When the phase condition changes, the light emission direction also changes in the arrangement direction of the waveguide array. That is, two-dimensional scanning can be realized by using the waveguide array.

<Operation principle of 2D scanning>
In the waveguide array, the light emission direction changes due to interference of light emitted from each waveguide element 10. In the present embodiment, the light emission direction can be changed by adjusting the phase of the light supplied to each waveguide element 10. The principle will be described below.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a cross section of a waveguide array that emits light in a direction perpendicular to the exit surface of the waveguide array. FIG. 5A also shows the phase shift amount of light propagating through each waveguide element 10. Here, the phase shift amount is a value based on the phase of light propagating through the leftmost waveguide element 10. The waveguide array in the present embodiment includes a plurality of waveguide elements 10 arranged at equal intervals. In FIG. 5A, a broken arc indicates a wavefront of light emitted from each waveguide element 10. A straight line indicates a wavefront formed by light interference. The arrow indicates the direction of light emitted from the waveguide array (that is, the direction of the wave vector). In the example of FIG. 5A, the phase of the light propagating through the optical waveguide layer 20 in each waveguide element 10 is the same. In this case, light is emitted in a direction (Z direction) perpendicular to both the arrangement direction (Y direction) of the waveguide elements 10 and the direction in which the optical waveguide layer 20 extends (X direction).

FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a cross section of the waveguide array that emits light in a direction different from the direction perpendicular to the exit surface of the waveguide array. In the example of FIG. 5B, the phases of light propagating through the optical waveguide layer 20 in the plurality of waveguide elements 10 differ by a certain amount (Δφ) in the arrangement direction. In this case, the light is emitted in a direction different from the Z direction. By changing this Δφ, the component in the Y direction of the wave number vector of light can be changed.

The direction of light emitted from the waveguide array to the outside (here, air) can be quantitatively discussed as follows.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a waveguide array in a three-dimensional space. X mutually orthogonal, in the three-dimensional space defined by Y and Z directions and a region where light is emitted to the air, the interface between the waveguide array and Z = z _0. This boundary surface includes the emission surfaces of the plurality of waveguide elements 10.

In Z <z ₀ , the plurality of waveguide elements 10 are arranged at equal intervals in the Y direction, and each of the plurality of waveguide elements 10 extends in the X direction. When Z> z ₀ , the electric field vector E (x, y, z) of the light emitted to the air is expressed by the following equation (4).

Where E ₀ is the electric field amplitude vector, k _x , k _y and k _z are wave numbers in the X, Y and Z directions, respectively, and j is an imaginary unit. In this case, the direction of the light emitted to the air is parallel to the wave vector (k _x , k _y , k _z ) represented by the thick arrows in FIG. The magnitude of the wave vector is expressed by the following equation (5).

From the boundary condition of the electric field at Z = z _0, the wave vector components k _x and k _y parallel to the boundary surface respectively match the wave numbers in the X and Y directions of the light in the waveguide array. This is equivalent to the condition that, in the same manner as Snell's law of equation (2), the wavelength in the surface direction of the air-side light matches the wavelength in the surface direction of the light on the waveguide array side at the boundary surface. To do.

k _x is equal to the wave number of light propagating through the optical waveguide layer 20 of the waveguide element 10 extending in the X direction. In the waveguide element 10 shown in FIG. 2 described above, k _x is expressed by the following equation (6) using the equations (2) and (3).

k _y is derived from the phase difference of light between two adjacent waveguide elements 10. The center in the Y direction of each of the N waveguide elements 10 arranged at equal intervals in the Y direction is y _q (q = 0, 1, 2,..., N−1), and two adjacent conductors are connected. Let p be the distance between the waveguide elements 10 (center-to-center distance). At that time, the electric field vector (expression (4)) of the light emitted to the air satisfies the relationship of the following expression (7) at y _q and y _{q + 1} within the boundary surface (Z = z ₀ ).

By setting an arbitrary so that the phase difference of the two adjacent waveguide element 10 is Δφ = k _y p (constant), k _y is represented by the following equation (8).

In this case, the phase of light at y _q is φ _q = φ ₀ + qΔφ (φ _{q + 1} −φ _q = Δφ). That is, the phase phi _q along the Y direction, a constant (Δφ = 0) or increased proportionally (Δφ> 0) or decrease (Δφ <0) is. If waveguide element 10 arranged in the Y direction is not equally spaced, with respect to the desired _{k y, y q} and _y phase difference at _{q + 1} is _{Δφ q = φ q + 1 -φ} q = k y (y q + 1 - y _q ) may be set. In this case, the phase of the light in the _{y q} becomes _{φ q = φ 0 + k y} (y q -y 0). By using k _x and k _y obtained from Equation (7) and Equation (8), respectively, k _z is derived from Equation (5). Thereby, the emission direction of light (the direction of the wave vector) is obtained.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the angle formed by the wave number vector (k _x , k _y , k _z ) of the emitted light and the vector (0, k _y , k _z ) obtained by projecting the wave vector onto the YZ plane is _defined. Let θ. θ is an angle formed by the wave vector and the YZ plane. θ is expressed by the following equation (9) using equations (5) and (6).

Equation (9) is exactly the same as Equation (3) when the emission light is limited to being parallel to the XZ plane. As can be seen from Equation (9), the X component of the wave vector changes depending on the wavelength of light, the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer 20, and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 6, the wave vector of the emitted light (0 order _{light) (k x, k y,} k z) and the vector obtained by projecting the wave vector in the XZ plane _(k x, 0, _{k z} ) Is defined as α ₀ . α ₀ is an angle formed by the wave vector and the XZ plane. α ₀ is represented by the following formula (10) using formula (5) and formula (8).

As can be seen from equation (10), the Y component of the wave number vector of light changes depending on the phase difference Δφ of light.

As described above, instead of the wave vector (k _x , k _y , k _z ), the light emission direction can be specified using θ and α ₀ obtained from the equations (9) and (10), respectively. . In that case, a unit vector representing the light emission direction can be expressed as (sin θ, sin α ₀ , (1-sin ² α ₀ -sin ² θ) ^1/2 ). Since all these vector components must be real numbers in the light emission, sin ² α ₀ + sin ² θ ≦ 1 is satisfied. From sin ² α ₀ ≦ 1-sin ² θ = cos ² θ, it can be seen that the emitted light changes within an angle range satisfying −cos θ ≦ sin α ₀ ≦ cos θ. From −1 ≦ sin α ₀ ≦ 1, when θ = 0 ^o , the emitted light changes in an angular range of −90 ^o ≦ α ₀ ≦ 90 ^o . However, as cos θ decreases as θ increases, the angle range of α ₀ becomes narrower. At θ = 90 ^o (cos θ = 0), light is emitted only when α ₀ = 0 ^o .

The two-dimensional scan with light in the present embodiment can be realized if there are at least two waveguide elements 10. However, when the number of waveguide elements 10 is small, the α ₀ spread angle Δα is increased. As the number of waveguide elements 10 increases, Δα decreases. This can be explained as follows. For simplicity, consider the case of θ = 0 ^o in FIG. That is, consider a case where the light emission direction is parallel to the YZ plane.

It is assumed that light having the same emission intensity and the above-described phase φ _q is emitted from each of N (N is an integer of 2 or more) waveguide elements 10. At that time, the absolute value of the amplitude distribution of the total light (electric field) emitted from the N waveguide elements 10 is proportional to F (u) represented by the following expression (11) in the far field.

However, u is represented by the following formula (12).

α is an angle formed by a straight line connecting the observation point and the origin and the Z axis in the YZ plane. α ₀ satisfies Expression (10). F (u) in Expression (11) becomes N (maximum) when u = 0 (α = α ₀ ), and becomes 0 when u = ± 2π / N. If the angles satisfying u = −2π / N and 2π / N are α ₁ and α ₂ (α ₁ <α ₀ <α ₂ ), respectively, the spread angle of α ₀ is Δα = α ₂ −α ₁ . A peak in the range of −2π / N <u <2π / N (α ₁ <α <α ₂ ) is generally called a main lobe. There are a plurality of small peaks called side lobes on both sides of the main lobe. When comparing the main lobe width Δu = 4π / N and Δu = 2πpΔ (sin α) / λ obtained from the equation (12), Δ (sin α) = 2λ / (Np). If Δα is small, Δ (sin α) = sin α ₂ −sin α ₁ = [(sin α ₂ −sin α ₁ ) / (α ₂ −α ₁ )] Δα? [D (sin α) / dα] _{α = α0} Δα = cos α ₀ Δα. For this reason, the spread angle is expressed by the following equation (13).

Therefore, as the number of waveguide elements 10 increases, the spread angle Δα can be reduced, and high-definition optical scanning can be realized even in a distant place. A similar argument can be applied to the case of θ ≠ 0 ^o in FIG.

<Diffraction light emitted from waveguide array>
From the waveguide array, high-order diffracted light can be emitted in addition to zero-order light. For simplicity, consider the case of θ = 0 ^o in FIG. That is, the outgoing direction of the diffracted light is parallel to the YZ plane.

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram showing how diffracted light is emitted from the waveguide array when p is larger than λ. In this case, if there is no phase shift (α ₀ = 0 ^o ), 0th order light and ± 1st order light are emitted in the direction of the solid line arrow shown in FIG. 7A (depending on the magnitude of p, higher order diffraction Light can also be emitted). When a phase shift is applied from this state (α ₀ ≠ 0 ^o ), the emission angles of the 0th-order light and the ± 1st-order light change in the same rotation direction as indicated by broken line arrows shown in FIG. 7A.

Although it is possible to perform beam scanning using higher-order light such as ± first-order light, only the 0th-order light is used when the device is configured more simply. In order to avoid a decrease in the gain of the zero-order light, the emission of high-order light may be suppressed by making the distance p between the two adjacent waveguide elements 10 smaller than λ. Even if p> λ, it is possible to use only the 0th order light by physically blocking the higher order light.

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which diffracted light is emitted from the waveguide array when p is smaller than λ. In this case, if there is no phase shift (α ₀ = 0 ^o ), the higher-order diffracted light does not exist because the diffraction angle exceeds 90 degrees, and only the 0th-order light is emitted forward. However, when p is a value close to λ, if a phase shift is applied (α ₀ ≠ 0 ^o ), ± first-order light may be emitted as the emission angle changes.

FIG. 7C is a schematic diagram showing how diffracted light is emitted from the waveguide array in the case of p? Λ / 2. In this case, even if a phase shift is given, (α ₀ ≠ 0 ^o ) ± primary light is not emitted, or even if it is emitted, it is emitted at a considerably large angle. In the case of p <λ / 2, high-order light is not emitted even if a phase shift is given. However, there is no particular merit by making p smaller than this. Therefore, p can be set to λ / 2 or more, for example.

The relationship between the 0th order light and the ± 1st order light emitted to the air in FIGS. 7A to 7C can be quantitatively explained as follows. F (u) in Expression (11) is a periodic function of 2π because F (u) = F (u + 2π). When u = ± 2 mπ, F (u) = N (maximum). At that time, ± m-order light is emitted at an emission angle α satisfying u = ± 2 mπ. A peak in the vicinity of u = ± 2 mπ (m ≠ 0) (peak width is Δu = 4π / N) is called a grating lobe.

Considering only ± first order light among the higher order lights (u = ± 2π), the emission angle α _± of the ± first order light satisfies the following formula (14).

P <λ / (1−sin α ₀ ) is obtained from the condition sin α ₊ > 1 where the ₊ 1st order light is not emitted. Similarly, p <λ / (1 + sin α ₀ ) is obtained from the condition sin α ₋ <−1 where the −1st order light is not emitted.

Conditions for whether ± first-order light is emitted with respect to the zero-order light with the emission angle α ₀ (> 0) are classified as follows. When p ≧ λ / (1−sin α ₀ ), both ± first-order lights are emitted. When λ / (1 + sin α ₀ ) ≦ p <λ / (1−sin α ₀ ), + 1st order light is not emitted, but −1st order light is emitted. In the case of p <λ / (1 + sin α ₀ ), neither ± first-order light is emitted. In particular, if p <λ / (1 + sin α ₀ ) is satisfied, ± first-order light is not emitted even in the case of θ ≠ 0 ^o in FIG. For example, in order to achieve a scan of 10 degrees or more on one side when ± 1st order light is not emitted, it is only necessary to satisfy the relationship of p ≦ λ / (1 + sin10 °) −0.85λ with α ₀ = 10 °. . In combination with the above-described lower limit condition regarding p, it is only necessary to satisfy λ / 2 ≦ p ≦ λ / (1 + sin 10 °).

However, in order to satisfy the condition that ± 1st order light is not emitted, it is necessary to make p very small. This makes the fabrication of the waveguide array difficult. Therefore, consider scanning 0th order light in an angle range of 0 ° <α ₀ <α _max regardless of the presence or absence of ± 1st order light. However, it is assumed that ± first-order light does not exist in this angular range. In order to satisfy this condition, at α ₀ = 0 °, the emission angle of the + 1st order light must be α ₊ ≧ α _max (that is, sin α ₊ = (λ / p) ≧ sin α _max ), and α ₀ When α = α _max , the emission angle of the minus first-order light must be α ₋ ≦ 0 (that is, sin α ₋ = sin α _max − (λ / p) ≦ 0). From these restrictions, p ≦ λ / sin α _max is obtained.

From the above discussion, the maximum value α _max of the zero-order light emission angle α _{0 in} the case where the ± first-order light does not exist in the scan angle range satisfies the following formula (15).

For example, in order to achieve a scan of 10 degrees or more on one side when ± 1st order light is not present in the scan angle range, α _max = 10 ° and p ≦ λ / sin 10 ° −5.76λ is satisfied. Just do it. In combination with the above-mentioned condition for the lower limit for p, λ / 2 ≦ p ≦ λ / sin 10 ° may be satisfied. Since the upper limit of p (p? 5.76λ) is sufficiently larger than the upper limit (p? 0.85λ) when ± 1st order light is not emitted, the waveguide array is relatively easy to manufacture. Here, when the used light is not a single wavelength light, the center wavelength of the used light is λ.

From the above, in order to scan a wider angle range, it is necessary to reduce the distance p between the waveguides. On the other hand, when p is small, it is necessary to increase the number of waveguide arrays in order to reduce the spread angle Δα of the emitted light in Equation (13). The number of waveguide arrays is appropriately determined according to the application and required performance. The number of waveguide arrays may be, for example, 16 or more, and may be 100 or more depending on the application.

<Phase control of light introduced into waveguide array>
In order to control the phase of the light emitted from each waveguide element 10, a phase shifter that changes the phase of the light may be introduced before the light is introduced into the waveguide element 10. The optical scanning device 100 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of phase shifters connected to each of the plurality of waveguide elements 10 and a second adjustment element that adjusts the phase of light propagating through each phase shifter.

Each phase shifter is connected to the optical waveguide layer 20 in the corresponding one of the plurality of waveguide elements 10 directly or via another waveguide (corresponding to the second waveguide) (third waveguide). Corresponding to the waveguide). The second adjusting element changes the phase difference of light propagating from the plurality of phase shifters to the plurality of waveguide elements 10 to thereby change the direction of light emitted from the plurality of waveguide elements 10 (third direction). D3) is changed. In the following description, similarly to the waveguide array, a plurality of arranged phase shifters may be referred to as “phase shifter arrays”.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration in which the phase shifter 80 is directly connected to the waveguide element 10. In FIG. 8, a portion surrounded by a broken line frame corresponds to the phase shifter 80. The phase shifter 80 includes a pair of opposing mirrors (a fifth mirror 30a and a sixth mirror 40a, hereinafter simply referred to as a mirror) and a waveguide provided between the mirror 30a and the mirror 40a. 20a (corresponding to the third waveguide).

The waveguide 20a in this example is formed of a member common to the optical waveguide layer 20 in the waveguide element 10, and is directly connected to the optical waveguide layer 20. Similarly, the mirror 40 a is also composed of a member common to the mirror 40 in the waveguide element 10 and is connected to the mirror 40. The mirror 30 a has a lower transmittance (higher reflectance) than the mirror 30 in the waveguide element 10. The mirror 30 a is connected to the mirror 30. In the phase shifter 80, the transmittance of the mirror 30a is designed to be as low as that of the mirrors 40 and 40a so as not to emit light. That is, the light transmittance of the fifth mirror 30 a and the sixth mirror 40 a is lower than the light transmittance of the first mirror 30.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the waveguide array 10A and the phase shifter array 80A viewed from the normal direction (Z direction) of the light exit surface. In the example shown in FIG. 9, all the phase shifters 80 have the same propagation characteristics, and all the waveguide elements 10 have the same propagation characteristics. Each phase shifter 80 and each waveguide element 10 may have the same length or may have different lengths. When the lengths of the respective phase shifters 80 are equal, the respective phase shift amounts may be adjusted by the drive voltage. In addition, by adopting a structure in which the length of each phase shifter 80 is changed in equal steps, it is possible to give an equal step phase shift with the same drive voltage. Further, the optical scanning device 100 drives an optical branching device 90 that branches and supplies light to a plurality of phase shifters 80, a first drive circuit 110 that drives each waveguide element 10, and each phase shifter 80. And a second drive circuit 210.

The straight arrows in FIG. 9 indicate light input. A two-dimensional scan can be realized by independently controlling the first drive circuit 110 and the second drive circuit 210 provided separately. In this example, the first drive circuit 110 functions as one element of the first adjustment element, and the second drive circuit 210 functions as one element of the second adjustment element.

As will be described later, the first drive circuit 110 changes (modulates) the refractive index or thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20 in each waveguide element 10 to change the angle of light emitted from the optical waveguide layer 20. . As will be described later, the second drive circuit 210 changes the phase of light propagating through the waveguide 20a by changing the refractive index of the waveguide 20a in each phase shifter 80. The optical branching device 90 may be configured by a dielectric waveguide through which light propagates by total reflection, or may be configured by a reflective waveguide similar to the waveguide element 10.

It should be noted that each light may be introduced into the phase shifter 80 after the phase of each light branched by the optical branching device 90 is controlled. For this phase control, for example, a passive phase control structure by adjusting the length of the waveguide leading to the phase shifter 80 can be used. Alternatively, a phase shifter that can be controlled by an electric signal having the same function as the phase shifter 80 may be used. By such a method, for example, the phase may be adjusted before being introduced into the phase shifter 80 so that all phase shifters 80 are supplied with equiphase light. By such adjustment, the control of each phase shifter 80 by the second drive circuit 210 can be simplified.

FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a configuration in which the waveguide in the phase shifter 80 is connected to the optical waveguide layer 20 in the waveguide element 10 via another waveguide 85 (corresponding to the second waveguide). It is. Each phase shifter 80 may have the same configuration as the phase shifter 80 shown in FIG. 8, or may have a different configuration. In FIG. 10, the phase shifter 80 is simply expressed using symbols φ ₀ to φ ₅ representing the phase shift amount. Similar expressions may be used in the following figures. The phase shifter 80 can be a dielectric waveguide that propagates light using total reflection. In that case, the mirrors 30a and 40a as shown in FIG. 8 are unnecessary.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which a plurality of phase shifters 80 arranged in cascade in the optical branching device 90 are inserted. In this example, a plurality of phase shifters 80 are connected in the middle of the path of the optical branching device 90. Each phase shifter 80 gives a constant phase shift amount φ to the propagating light. By making the phase shift amount given to the propagation light by each phase shifter 80 constant, the phase difference between two adjacent waveguide elements 10 becomes equal. Therefore, the second adjustment element can send a common phase control signal to all the phase shifters 80. For this reason, there exists an advantage that a structure becomes easy.

In order to efficiently propagate light between the optical branching device 90, the phase shifter 80, the waveguide element 10, and the like, a dielectric waveguide can be used. For the dielectric waveguide, an optical material having a higher refractive index than that of the surrounding material and less light absorption can be used. For example, materials such as Si, GaAs, GaN, SiO ₂ , TiO ₂ , Ta ₂ O ₅ , AlN, and SiN can be used.

The phase shifter 80 requires a mechanism for changing the optical path length in order to give a phase difference to the light. In order to change the optical path length, in this embodiment, the refractive index of the waveguide in the phase shifter 80 is modulated. Thereby, the phase difference of the light supplied to the waveguide element 10 from two adjacent phase shifters 80 can be adjusted. More specifically, the phase shift can be given by performing refractive index modulation of the phase shift material in the waveguide of the phase shifter 80. A specific example of a configuration that performs refractive index modulation will be described later.

<Example of first adjusting element>
Next, a configuration example of the first adjustment element that adjusts the refractive index or thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20 in the waveguide element 10 will be described. First, a configuration example for adjusting the refractive index will be described.

FIG. 12A is a perspective view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the first adjustment element 60 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as an adjustment element). In the example shown in FIG. 12A, the adjustment element 60 having a pair of electrodes 62 (an example of first and second electrodes) is incorporated in the waveguide element 10. The optical waveguide layer 20 is sandwiched between a pair of electrodes 62.

The optical waveguide layer 20 and the pair of electrodes 62 are provided between the first mirror 30 and the second mirror 40. The entire side surface (surface parallel to the XZ plane) of the optical waveguide layer 20 is in contact with the electrode 62. The optical waveguide layer 20 includes a refractive index modulation material that changes a refractive index with respect to light propagating through the optical waveguide layer 20 when a voltage is applied. The adjustment element 60 further includes a wiring 64 drawn from the pair of electrodes 62 and a power source 66 connected to the wiring 64. The refractive index of the optical waveguide layer 20 can be modulated by turning on the power supply 66 and applying a voltage to the pair of electrodes 62 through the wiring 64. For this reason, the adjustment element 60 can also be called a refractive index modulation element.

FIG. 12B is a perspective view schematically showing another configuration example of the first adjustment element 60. In this example, only a part of the side surface of the optical waveguide layer 20 is in contact with the electrode 62. The other points are the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 12A. Thus, even if it is the structure which changes the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer 20 partially, the direction of emitted light can be changed.

FIG. 12C is a perspective view schematically showing still another configuration example of the adjustment element 60. In this example, the pair of electrodes 62 has a layered shape substantially parallel to the reflecting surfaces of the mirrors 30 and 40. One electrode 62 is sandwiched between the first mirror 30 and the optical waveguide layer 20. The other electrode 62 is sandwiched between the second mirror 40 and the optical waveguide layer 20. When such a configuration is employed, a transparent electrode can be used as the electrode 62. According to such a configuration, there is an advantage that manufacture is relatively easy.

In the example shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C, the optical waveguide layer 20 in each waveguide element 10 includes a material whose refractive index changes with respect to the light propagating through the optical waveguide layer 20 when a voltage is applied. The first adjustment element 60 has a pair of electrodes 62 sandwiching the optical waveguide layer 20, and changes the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer 20 by applying a voltage to the pair of electrodes 62. The application of the voltage can be performed by the first driving circuit 110 described above.

Here, the example of the material which can be used for each component is demonstrated. As a material of the mirrors 30, 40, 30a, and 40a, for example, a multilayer film made of a dielectric can be used. A mirror using a multilayer film can be produced, for example, by periodically forming a plurality of films each having an optical thickness of ¼ wavelength and having different refractive indexes. According to such a multilayer mirror, a high reflectance can be obtained. As the material of the film, for example, SiO ₂ , TiO ₂ , Ta ₂ O ₅ , Si, SiN or the like can be used. Each mirror is not limited to a multilayer mirror, and may be formed of a metal such as Ag or Al.

Various materials having conductivity can be used for the electrode 62 and the wiring 64. For example, metallic materials such as Ag, Cu, Au, Al, Pt, Ta, W, Ti, Rh, Ru, Ni, Mo, Cr, Pd, or ITO, tin oxide, zinc oxide, IZO (registered trademark), SRO Inorganic compounds such as, or conductive materials such as conductive polymers such as PEDOT and polyaniline can be used.

As the material of the optical waveguide layer 20, various light-transmitting materials such as a dielectric, a semiconductor, an electro-optic material, and liquid crystal molecules can be used. The dielectric, eg _{SiO 2, TiO 2, Ta 2} O 5, SiN, include AlN. Examples of the semiconductor material include Si-based materials, GaAs-based materials, and GaN-based materials. Examples of the electro-optic material include lithium niobate (LiNbO ₃ ), barium titanate (BaTi ₃ ), lithium tantalate (LiTaO ₃ ), zinc oxide (ZnO), lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT), and tantalate. Examples thereof include potassium niobate (KTN).

Examples of a method for modulating the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer 20 include a method using a carrier injection effect, an electro-optic effect, a birefringence effect, or a thermo-optic effect. Hereinafter, examples of each method will be described.

The method using the carrier injection effect can be realized by a configuration using a semiconductor pin junction. In this method, a structure in which a semiconductor having a low doping concentration is sandwiched between a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor is used, and the refractive index is modulated by injecting carriers into the semiconductor. In this configuration, the optical waveguide layer 20 in each waveguide element 10 includes a semiconductor material. One of the pair of electrodes 62 may include a p-type semiconductor, and the other may include an n-type semiconductor.

The first adjustment element 60 applies a voltage to the pair of electrodes 62 to inject carriers into the semiconductor material and change the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer 20. The optical waveguide layer 20 may be made of a non-doped or lightly doped semiconductor, and a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor may be provided so as to be in contact therewith. A ply semiconductor and an n type semiconductor may be disposed so as to be in contact with a lightly doped semiconductor, and a composite structure may be employed in which a conductive material is in contact with the p type semiconductor and the n type semiconductor.

For example, when carriers of about 10 ²⁰ cm ⁻³ are injected into Si, the refractive index of Si changes by about 0.1 (for example, “Free charge carrier induced refractive index modulation of crystalline Silicon” 7th IEEE International Conference on Group IV Photonics , P102-104, 1-3 Sept. 2010). When this method is employed, a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor can be used as the material of the pair of electrodes 62 in FIGS. 12A to 12C. Alternatively, the pair of electrodes 62 may be made of metal, and a layer between the electrode 62 and the optical waveguide layer 20 or the optical waveguide layer 20 itself may include a p-type or n-type semiconductor.

The method using the electro-optic effect can be realized by applying an electric field to the optical waveguide layer 20 containing the electro-optic material. In particular, if KTN is used as the electro-optic material, a large electro-optic effect can be obtained. KTN can use this effect because the relative permittivity rises significantly at a temperature slightly higher than the phase transition temperature from tetragonal to cubic.

For example, “Low-Driving-Voltage Electro-Optic Modulator With Novel KTa1-xNbxO3 Crystal Waveguides” Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., Vol. 43, No. 8B (2004) On the other hand, an electro-optic constant g = 4.8 × 10 ⁻¹⁵ m ² / V ² is obtained. Thus, for example, application of an electric field of 2 kV / mm, a refractive index of ^{0.1 (= gn 3 E 3/} 2) to a degree varies. As described above, in the configuration using the electro-optic effect, the optical waveguide layer 20 in each waveguide element 10 includes an electro-optic material such as KTN. The first adjustment element 60 changes the refractive index of the electro-optic material by applying a voltage to the pair of electrodes 62.

In the method using the birefringence effect by the liquid crystal, the refractive index anisotropy of the liquid crystal can be changed by driving the optical waveguide layer 20 containing the liquid crystal material with the electrode 62. Thereby, the refractive index with respect to the light propagating through the optical waveguide layer 20 can be modulated. Since the liquid crystal generally has a birefringence difference of about 0.1 to 0.2, a change in refractive index equivalent to the birefringence difference can be obtained by changing the alignment direction of the liquid crystal with an electric field. Thus, in the configuration using the birefringence effect of liquid crystal, the optical waveguide layer 20 in each waveguide element 10 includes a liquid crystal material. The first adjustment element 60 changes the refractive index anisotropy of the liquid crystal material and changes the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer 20 by applying a voltage to the pair of electrodes 62.

The thermo-optic effect is an effect in which the refractive index changes as the temperature of the material changes. In order to drive by the thermo-optic effect, the refractive index may be modulated by heating the optical waveguide layer 20 containing the thermo-optic material.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which the adjustment element 60 including the heater 68 made of a material having high electrical resistance and the waveguide element 10 are combined. The heater 68 may be disposed in the vicinity of the optical waveguide layer 20. Heating can be performed by turning on the power supply 66 and applying a voltage to the heater 68 through the wiring 64 containing a conductive material. The heater 68 may be brought into contact with the optical waveguide layer 20. In the present configuration example, the optical waveguide layer 20 in each waveguide element 10 includes a thermo-optic material whose refractive index changes with temperature change. The first adjustment element 60 includes a heater 68 disposed in contact with the optical waveguide layer 20 or in the vicinity of the optical waveguide layer 20. The first adjustment element 60 changes the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer 20 by heating the thermo-optic material with the heater 68.

The optical waveguide layer 20 itself may be made of a high electrical resistance material, and the optical waveguide layer 20 may be directly sandwiched between a pair of electrodes 62 and heated by applying a voltage. In this case, the first adjustment element 60 includes a pair of electrodes 62 that sandwich the optical waveguide layer 20. The first adjustment element 60 changes the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer 20 by applying a voltage to the pair of electrodes 62 to heat the thermo-optic material (for example, high electrical resistance material) in the optical waveguide layer 20.

As the high electrical resistance used for the heater 68 or the optical waveguide layer 20, a semiconductor or a metal material having a high resistivity can be used. For example, Si, GaAs, GaN, or the like can be used as the semiconductor. In addition, as the metal having high resistivity, iron, nickel, copper, manganese, chromium, aluminum, silver, gold, platinum, or an alloy in which these materials are combined can be used.

For example, the temperature dependence dn / dT of the refractive index of Si for light having a wavelength of 1500 nm is 1.87 × 10 ⁻⁴ (K ⁻¹ ) (“Temperature-dependent refractive index of silicon and germanium”, Proc. SPIE 6273 , Optomechanical Technologies for Astronomy, 62732J). Therefore, when the temperature is changed by 500 °, the refractive index can be changed by about 0.1. If a heater 68 is provided in the vicinity of the optical waveguide layer 20 and locally heated, even a large temperature change of 500 ° can be performed at a relatively high speed.

The response speed of the refractive index change due to carrier injection is determined by the lifetime of the carrier. Generally, since the carrier lifetime is on the order of nanoseconds (ns), a response speed of about 100 MHz to 1 GHz can be obtained.

When an electro-optic material is used, a refractive index change is caused by applying an electric field to induce polarization of electrons. In general, the rate of inducing polarization is extremely high, and materials such as LiNbO ₃ and LiTaO ₃ have a response time on the order of femtoseconds (fs), so that high-speed driving exceeding 1 GHz is possible.

When a thermo-optic material is used, the response speed of the refractive index change is determined by the temperature increase / decrease speed. A rapid temperature increase can be obtained by locally heating only the vicinity of the waveguide. Moreover, if the heater is turned off while the temperature is locally raised, the temperature can be drastically lowered by dissipating heat to the periphery. If it is fast, a response speed of about 100 KHz can be obtained.

In the above example, the first adjustment element 60 changes the X component of the wave number vector of the emitted light by simultaneously changing the refractive index of each optical waveguide layer 20 by a certain value. In the refractive index modulation, the amount of modulation depends on the characteristics of the material, and in order to obtain a large amount of modulation, it is necessary to apply a high electric field or to align the liquid crystal. On the other hand, the direction of light emitted from the waveguide element 10 also depends on the distance between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40. Therefore, the thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20 may be changed by changing the distance between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40. Hereinafter, an example of a configuration in which the thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20 is changed will be described.

In order to change the thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20, the optical waveguide layer 20 can be made of an easily deformable material such as gas or liquid. The thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20 can be changed by moving at least one of the mirrors 30 and 40 sandwiching the optical waveguide layer 20. At this time, in order to maintain the parallelism between the upper and lower mirrors 30 and 40, a configuration that minimizes deformation of the mirror 30 or 40 may be employed.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration example in which the mirror 30 is held by a support member 70 made of a material that is easily deformed. The support member 70 may include a thin member or a thin frame that is more easily deformed than the mirror 30. In this example, the first adjustment element has an actuator connected to the first mirror 30 in each waveguide element 10. The actuator changes the thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20 by changing the distance between the first mirror 30 and the second mirror 40. The actuator can be connected to at least one of the first mirror 30 and the second mirror 40. As an actuator for driving the mirror 30, for example, various actuators using electrostatic force, electromagnetic induction, piezoelectric material, shape memory alloy, or heat can be used.

In the configuration using electrostatic force, the actuator in the first adjustment element moves the mirrors 30 and / or 40 using attractive force or repulsive force between the electrodes generated by the electrostatic force. Hereinafter, some examples of such a configuration will be described.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which the mirrors 30 and / or 40 are moved by the electrostatic force generated between the electrodes. In this example, a translucent electrode 62 (for example, a transparent electrode) is provided between the mirror 30 and the optical waveguide layer 20 and between the mirror 40 and the optical waveguide layer 20. Each of the support members 70 disposed on both sides of the mirror 30 has one end fixed to the mirror 30 and the other end fixed to a housing (not shown). By applying positive and negative voltages to the pair of electrodes 62, an attractive force is generated and the distance between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40 is reduced. When the voltage application is stopped, the restoring force of the support member 70 that holds the mirror is generated, and the distance between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40 is restored to the original length.

It is not necessary for the electrode 62 that generates such attractive force to be provided on the entire mirror surface. The actuator in this example has a pair of electrodes 62, one of the pair of electrodes 62 is fixed to the first mirror 30, and the other of the pair of electrodes 62 is fixed to the second mirror 40. The actuator applies a voltage to the pair of electrodes 62 to generate an electrostatic force between the electrodes, thereby changing the distance between the first mirror 30 and the second mirror 40. Note that the voltage is applied to the electrode 62 by the drive circuit 110 (for example, FIG. 9).

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which the electrode 62 that generates the attractive force is disposed at a position that does not hinder the propagation of light. In this example, the electrode 62 need not be transparent. As shown in the drawing, the electrode 62 fixed to each of the mirrors 30 and 40 does not have to be single, and may be divided. By measuring the capacitance of a part of the divided electrodes, feedback control such as measuring the distance between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40 and adjusting the parallelism of the mirror 30 and the mirror 40 can be performed. .

Instead of using the electrostatic force between the electrodes, the mirrors 30 and / or 40 may be driven using electromagnetic induction that generates attractive or repulsive force on the magnetic body in the coil.

In the actuator using the piezoelectric material, the shape memory alloy, or the deformation by heat, the phenomenon that the material is deformed by the energy applied from the outside is used. For example, lead zirconate titanate (PZT), which is a typical piezoelectric material, expands and contracts by applying an electric field in the polarization direction. The distance between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40 can be directly changed by this piezoelectric material. However, since the piezoelectric constant of PZT is about 100 pm / V, for example, even when an electric field of 1 V / μm is applied, the displacement is as small as about 0.01%. For this reason, when such a piezoelectric material is used, a sufficient mirror moving distance cannot be obtained. Therefore, the amount of change can be increased using a configuration called a unimorph or bimorph.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a piezoelectric element 72 including a piezoelectric material. The arrow indicates the displacement direction of the piezoelectric element 72, and the size of the arrow indicates the amount of displacement. As shown in FIG. 17, since the displacement amount of the piezoelectric element 72 depends on the length of the material, the displacement amount in the surface direction is larger than the displacement amount in the thickness direction.

FIG. 18A is a diagram showing a configuration example of a support member 74a having a unimorph structure using the piezoelectric element 72 shown in FIG. The support member 74a has a structure in which one layer of piezoelectric elements 72 and one layer of non-piezoelectric elements 71 are laminated. The distance between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40 can be changed by fixing and deforming the support member 74a to at least one of the mirrors 30 and 40.

FIG. 18B is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the support member 74 a is deformed by applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element 72. When a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 72, only the piezoelectric element 72 extends in the surface direction, so that the entire support member 74a bends. For this reason, compared with the case where there is no non-piezoelectric element 71, the amount of displacement can be increased.

FIG. 19A is a diagram showing a configuration example of a support member 74b having a bimorph structure using the piezoelectric element 72 shown in FIG. The support member 74b has a structure in which two layers of piezoelectric elements 72 and one layer of non-piezoelectric elements 71 therebetween are stacked. The distance between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40 can be changed by fixing and deforming the support member 74b to at least one of the mirrors 30 and 40.

FIG. 19B is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the support member 74a is deformed by applying a voltage to the piezoelectric elements 72 on both sides. In the bimorph, the upper and lower piezoelectric materials 72 have opposite displacement directions. Therefore, when the bimorph configuration is used, the amount of displacement can be further increased as compared with the unimorph configuration.

20 is a diagram illustrating an example of an actuator in which the support members 74a illustrated in FIG. 18A are arranged on both sides of the mirror 30. FIG. The distance between the mirrors 30 and 40 can be changed by deforming the support member 74a so that the beam is deflected by such a piezoelectric actuator. Instead of the support member 74a shown in FIG. 18A, a support member 74b shown in FIG. 19A may be used.

Since the unimorph actuator is deformed in an arc shape, as shown in FIG. 21A, an inclination is generated at the tip that is not fixed. Therefore, when the rigidity of the mirror 30 is low, it is difficult to hold the mirror 30 and the mirror 40 in parallel. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 21B, two unimorph-type support members 74a having different expansion and contraction directions may be connected in series. In the example of FIG. 21B, in the support member 74a, the direction of deflection is opposite between the stretchable region and the stretched region. As a result, it is possible to prevent the tip on the non-fixed side from being inclined. By using such a support member 74a, the mirrors 30 and 40 can be prevented from tilting.

Similarly to the above, it is possible to realize a flexurally deformed beam structure by bonding materials having different thermal expansion coefficients. Furthermore, the beam structure can be realized with a shape memory alloy. Either can be used to adjust the distance between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40.

It is also possible to change the distance between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40 by making the optical waveguide layer 20 a sealed space and changing the volume of the optical waveguide layer 20 by taking in or taking out the internal air or liquid with a small pump or the like. is there.

As described above, the actuator in the first adjustment element can change the thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20 by various structures. Such a change in thickness may be performed individually for each of the plurality of waveguide elements 10 or may be performed uniformly for all the waveguide elements 10. In particular, when the structures of the plurality of waveguide elements 10 are all the same, the distance between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40 in each waveguide element 10 is controlled to be constant. For this reason, one actuator can drive all the waveguide elements 10 collectively.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which a support member (that is, an auxiliary substrate) 52 that holds a plurality of first mirrors 30 is collectively driven by an actuator. In FIG. 22, the second mirror 40 is a single plate-like mirror (an example of a fourth mirror). The mirror 40 may be divided into a plurality of mirrors as in the above-described embodiment. The support member 52 is made of a light-transmitting material, and a unimorph type piezoelectric actuator is provided on both sides.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which the first mirror 30 in the plurality of waveguide elements 10 is one plate-like mirror (an example of a third mirror). In this example, the second mirror 40 is divided for each waveguide element 10. As in the example of FIGS. 25 and 26, at least one of the mirrors 30 and 40 in each waveguide element 10 may be a part of one plate-like mirror. The actuator may change the distance between the mirror 30 and the mirror 40 by moving the plate-like mirror.

<Refractive index modulation for phase shift>
Next, a configuration for phase adjustment in the plurality of phase shifters 80 by the second adjustment element will be described. The phase adjustment in the plurality of phase shifters 80 can be realized by changing the refractive index of the waveguide 20a in the phase shifter 80. The adjustment of the refractive index can be realized by the same method as the method for adjusting the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer 20 in each waveguide element 10 described above.

For example, the configuration and method of refractive index modulation described with reference to FIGS. 12A to 13 can be applied as they are. 12A to 13, the waveguide element 10 is read as the phase shifter 80, the first adjustment element 60 is read as the second adjustment element, the optical waveguide layer 20 is read as the waveguide 20a, and the first drive circuit 110 is changed. What is necessary is just to read as the 2nd drive circuit 210. Therefore, a detailed description of the refractive index modulation in the phase shifter 80 is omitted.

The waveguide 20a in each phase shifter 80 includes a material whose refractive index changes in response to voltage application or temperature change. The second adjustment element changes the refractive index in the waveguide 20a by applying a voltage to the waveguide 20a in each phase shifter 80 or changing the temperature of the waveguide 20a. Accordingly, the second adjustment element can change the phase difference of light propagating from the plurality of phase shifters 80 to the plurality of waveguide elements 10.

Each phase shifter 80 can be configured to allow a phase shift of at least 2π before light passes through. When the amount of change in the refractive index per unit length of the waveguide 20a in the phase shifter 80 is small, the length of the waveguide 20a may be increased. For example, the size of the phase shifter 80 may be several hundred micrometers (μm) to several millimeters (mm), and in some cases, more. On the other hand, the length of each waveguide element 10 can be a value of about several tens of μm to several tens of mm, for example.

<Configuration for synchronous drive>
In the present embodiment, the first adjustment element drives each waveguide element 10 so that the directions of light emitted from the plurality of waveguide elements 10 are aligned. In order to align the direction of light emitted from the plurality of waveguide elements 10, for example, each waveguide element 10 may be provided with a drive unit and driven synchronously.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which the wiring 64 is commonly extracted from the electrodes 62 of the respective waveguide elements 10. FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which some of the electrodes 62 and the wirings 64 are shared. FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration in which a common electrode 62 is disposed for a plurality of waveguide elements 10. 24 to 26, straight arrows indicate light input. With the configuration shown in these drawings, the wiring for driving the waveguide array 10A can be simplified.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to scan light two-dimensionally with a simple device configuration. For example, when a waveguide array composed of N waveguide elements 10 is synchronously driven, N drive circuits are required if independent drive circuits are provided. However, it is possible to operate with a single drive circuit if the electrode or wiring is shared as described above.

When the phase shifter array 80A is provided in front of the waveguide array 10A, in order to move each of the phase shifters 80 independently, N drive circuits are further required. However, by arranging the phase shifters 80 in a cascade manner as in the example of FIG. 11, even one drive circuit can be operated. That is, in the configuration of the present disclosure, an operation of scanning light two-dimensionally can be realized with two to 2N drive circuits. Further, since the waveguide array 10A and the phase shifter array 80A may be operated independently, they can be easily pulled out without interfering with each other.

<Manufacturing method>
The waveguide array, the phase shifter array 80A, and the dielectric waveguide connecting them can be manufactured by a process capable of high-precision microfabrication, such as a semiconductor process, a 3D printer, self-assembly, and nanoimprint. With these processes, it is possible to integrate necessary elements in a small area.

In particular, if a semiconductor process is used, there are advantages that processing accuracy is extremely high and mass productivity is high. When a semiconductor process is used, various materials can be formed on the substrate by vapor deposition, sputtering, CVD, coating, or the like. Furthermore, fine processing is possible by photolithography and etching processes. As the material of the substrate, for example, Si, SiO ₂ , Al ₂ O ₂ , AlN, SiC, GaAs, GaN, or the like can be used.

<Modification>
Then, the modification of this embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 27 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a configuration in which a large area for arranging the phase shifter array 80A is secured and the waveguide array is integrated small. According to such a configuration, a sufficient amount of phase shift can be ensured even when only a small refractive index change occurs in the material constituting the waveguide of the phase shifter 80. Further, when the phase shifter 80 is driven by heat, the interval can be widened, so that the influence on the adjacent phase shifter 80 can be reduced.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a configuration example in which two phase shifter arrays 80Aa and 80Ab are arranged on both sides of the waveguide array 10A. In this example, the optical scanning device 100 has two optical branching devices 90a and 90b and two phase shifter arrays 80Aa and 80Ab on both sides of the waveguide array 10A. In FIG. 28, a straight arrow indicated by a dotted line indicates light propagating through the optical branching devices 90a and 90b and the phase shifters 80a and 80b.

The phase shifter array 80Aa and the optical branching device 90a are connected to one side of the waveguide array 10A, and the phase shifter array 80Ab and the optical branching device 90b are provided on the other side of the waveguide array 10A. The optical scanning device 100 further includes an optical switch 92 that switches the supply of light to the optical branching devices 90a and 90b. By switching the optical switch 92, it is possible to switch between a state in which light is input to the waveguide array 10A from the left side in FIG. 28 and a state in which light is input to the waveguide array 10A from the right side in FIG.

According to the configuration of this modification, there is an advantage that the scan range in the X direction of the light emitted from the waveguide array 10A can be expanded. In the configuration in which light is input from one side to the waveguide array 10A, the direction of the light is changed from the front direction (+ Z direction) to either the + X direction or the −X direction by driving each waveguide element 10. Can be scanned.

On the other hand, in this modification, when light is input from the left optical branching device 90a in FIG. 28, light can be scanned from the front direction along the + X direction. On the other hand, when light is input from the right optical splitter 90b, the light can be scanned from the front direction to the −X direction. That is, in the configuration of FIG. 28, light can be scanned in both the left and right directions in FIG. 28 when viewed from the front. For this reason, compared with the structure which inputs light from one side, the scanning angle range can be widened. The optical switch 92 is controlled by an electric signal from a control circuit (not shown) (for example, a microcontroller unit). According to this configuration example, it is possible to control the driving of all the elements with an electric signal.

In the above description, only the waveguide array in which the arrangement direction of the waveguide elements 10 and the extending direction of the waveguide elements 10 are orthogonal to each other has been dealt with. However, these directions need not be orthogonal. For example, a configuration as shown in FIG. 29A may be used. FIG. 29A shows a configuration example of a waveguide array in which the arrangement direction d1 of the waveguide elements 10 and the direction d2 in which the waveguide elements 10 extend are not orthogonal to each other. In this example, the light emitting surface of each waveguide element 10 may not be in the same plane. Even with such a configuration, the light emitting direction d3 can be changed two-dimensionally by appropriately controlling each waveguide element 10 and each phase shifter.

FIG. 29B shows a configuration example of a waveguide array in which the arrangement interval of the waveguide elements 10 is not constant. Even when such a configuration is adopted, two-dimensional scanning can be performed by appropriately setting the phase shift amount by each phase shifter. In the configuration of FIG. 29B as well, the arrangement direction d1 of the waveguide array and the extending direction d2 of each waveguide element 10 do not have to be orthogonal.

<Application example>
FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the optical scanning device 100 in which elements such as the optical branching device 90, the waveguide array 10A, the phase shifter array 80A, and the light source 130 are integrated on a circuit board (that is, a chip). The light source 130 can be, for example, a light emitting element such as a semiconductor laser. The light source 130 in this example emits light having a single wavelength whose wavelength in free space is λ. The optical branching device 90 branches the light from the light source 130 and introduces it into the waveguides in the plurality of phase shifters.

30, an electrode 62a and a plurality of electrodes 62b are provided on the chip. A control signal is supplied from the electrode 62a to the waveguide array 10A. Control signals are sent from the plurality of electrodes 62b to the plurality of phase shifters 80 in the phase shifter array 80A. The electrodes 62a and 62b can be connected to a control circuit (not shown) that generates the control signal. The control circuit may be provided on the chip shown in FIG. 30, or may be provided on another chip in the optical scanning device 100.

As shown in FIG. 30, a wide range of optical scanning can be realized with a small device by integrating all components on a chip. For example, all the components shown in FIG. 30 can be integrated on a chip of about 2 mm × 1 mm.

FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a two-dimensional scan is executed by irradiating a light beam such as a laser far away from the optical scanning device 100. A two-dimensional scan is performed by moving the beam spot 310 horizontally and vertically. For example, a two-dimensional ranging image can be acquired by combining with a known TOF (Time Of Flight) method. The TOF method is a method for calculating a flight time of light and observing a distance by irradiating a laser and observing reflected light from an object.

FIG. 32 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a rider (LiDAR) system 300 which is an example of a light detection system capable of generating such a ranging image. The rider system 300 includes an optical scanning device 100, a photodetector 400, a signal processing circuit 600, and a control circuit 500. The photodetector 400 detects light emitted from the optical scanning device 100 and reflected from the object. The photodetector 400 can be, for example, an image sensor having sensitivity to the wavelength λ of light emitted from the optical scanning device 100 or a photodetector including a light receiving element such as a photodiode. The photodetector 400 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of received light.

The signal processing circuit 600 calculates the distance to the object based on the electrical signal output from the photodetector 400, and generates distance distribution data. The distance distribution data is data indicating a two-dimensional distribution of distance (that is, a distance measurement image). The control circuit 500 is a processor that controls the optical scanning device 100, the photodetector 400, and the signal processing circuit 600. The control circuit 500 controls the timing of irradiation of the light beam from the optical scanning device 100 and the timing of exposure and signal readout of the photodetector 400, and instructs the signal processing circuit 600 to generate a distance measurement image.

In the two-dimensional scan, the frame rate for acquiring the distance measurement image can be selected from, for example, 60 fps, 50 fps, 30 fps, 25 fps, 24 fps and the like that are generally used for moving images. In consideration of application to an in-vehicle system, the larger the frame rate, the higher the frequency of acquiring the distance measurement image, and the obstacle can be detected with high accuracy. For example, when traveling at 60 km / h, an image can be acquired every time the vehicle moves about 28 cm at a frame rate of 60 fps. At a frame rate of 120 fps, an image can be acquired every time the car moves about 14 cm. At a frame rate of 180 fps, an image can be acquired every time the car moves about 9.3 cm.

The time required to acquire one ranging image depends on the beam scan speed. For example, in order to acquire an image having a resolution point of 100 × 100 at 60 fps, it is necessary to perform a beam scan at 1.67 μs or less per point. In this case, the control circuit 500 controls the emission of the light beam by the optical scanning device 100 and the signal accumulation / reading by the photodetector 400 at an operation speed of 600 kHz.

<Application example to optical receiving device>
The optical scanning device according to the present disclosure can be used as an optical receiving device with almost the same configuration. The optical receiving device includes the same waveguide array 10A as the optical scanning device, and a first adjustment element 60 that adjusts the direction of light that can be received. Each first mirror 30 of the waveguide array 10A transmits light incident on the opposite side of the first reflecting surface from the third direction. Each optical waveguide layer 20 of the waveguide array 10A propagates the light transmitted through the first mirror 30 in the second direction or the direction opposite to the second direction.

The first adjusting element 60 can change the direction of receivable light by changing at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer 20 in each waveguide element 10. Furthermore, the light received by the optical receiving device through the plurality of phase shifters 80 or 80a and 80b, which are the same as the optical scanning device, and the plurality of waveguide elements 10 through the plurality of phase shifters 80 or 80a and 80b. In the case where the second adjustment element that changes the phase difference between the two is provided, the direction of receivable light can be changed two-dimensionally.

For example, an optical receiving device in which the light source 130 in the optical scanning device 100 shown in FIG. 30 is replaced with a receiving circuit can be configured. When light having a wavelength λ is incident on the waveguide array 10A, the light is sent to the optical branching device 90 through the phase shifter array 80A, finally collected at one place, and sent to the receiving circuit. It can be said that the intensity of the light collected in one place represents the sensitivity of the optical receiving device. The sensitivity of the optical receiving device can be adjusted by adjusting elements separately incorporated in the waveguide array and the phase shifter array 80A.

In the optical receiving device, for example, in FIG. 6, the direction of the wave vector (thick arrow) is reversed. The incident light has a light component in the direction in which the waveguide element 10 extends (X direction) and a light component in the arrangement direction of the waveguide elements 10 (Y direction). The sensitivity of the light component in the X direction can be adjusted by an adjusting element incorporated in the waveguide array 10A. On the other hand, the sensitivity of the light component in the arrangement direction of the waveguide elements 10 can be adjusted by an adjusting element incorporated in the phase shifter array 80A. From the phase difference Δφ of the light when the sensitivity of the optical receiving device is maximized, the refractive index n _W and the thickness d of the optical waveguide layer 20, θ and α ₀ (equation (9) and equation (10)) can be found. For this reason, the incident direction of light can be specified.

The optical scanning device and the optical receiving device in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be used for applications such as a rider system mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, UAV, and AGV.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Waveguide element 20 Optical waveguide layer 30 1st mirror 40 2nd mirror 42 Low refractive index layer 44 High refractive index layer 50 Substrate 52 Support member (auxiliary substrate)
60 adjustment element 62 electrode 64 wiring 66 power supply 68 high electrical resistance material 70 support member 71 non-piezoelectric element 72 piezoelectric element 74a, 74b support member 80, 80a, 80b phase shifter 90, 90a, 90b optical splitter 92 optical switch 100 optical scan Device 110 Waveguide Array Drive Circuit 130 Light Source 210 Phase Shifter Array Drive Circuit 310 Beam Spot 400 Photodetector 500 Control Circuit 600 Signal Processing Circuit

Claims (34)

A waveguide array including a plurality of first waveguides arranged in a first direction;
A first adjustment element;
With
Each of the plurality of first waveguides is
An optical waveguide layer for propagating light in a second direction intersecting the first direction or in a direction opposite to the second direction;
A first mirror having a first reflecting surface intersecting a third direction and extending in the second direction;
A second mirror having a second reflective surface facing the first reflective surface of the first mirror and extending in the second direction;
With
The third direction intersects a virtual plane parallel to the first and second directions;
The optical waveguide layer is located between the first mirror and the second mirror;
At least one of a refractive index and a thickness of the optical waveguide layer changes,
The first mirror has a light transmittance higher than that of the second mirror, transmits a part of the light propagating in the optical waveguide layer, and transmits the part from the opposite side of the first reflecting surface. Exit in the third direction,
The first adjustment element is an emission direction of the part of the light by changing at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer in each of the plurality of first waveguides. Changing the third direction;
Optical scanning device. 2. The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the first adjustment element synchronously changes at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the plurality of optical waveguide layers of the plurality of first waveguides by the same amount. 3. . 3. The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first mirrors of the plurality of first waveguides are a plurality of portions of a third mirror that are integrally formed. The optical scanning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of second mirrors of the plurality of first waveguides are a plurality of portions of a fourth mirror configured integrally. 3. The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of optical waveguide layers of the plurality of first waveguides are a plurality of portions of the second optical waveguide layer configured integrally. When the component of the second direction of the partial wave number vector of the light emitted in the third direction is an X component and the component of the first direction is a Y component,
The first adjustment element changes the X component of the wave vector by changing at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer in each of the plurality of first waveguides,
When the phase difference of light supplied to two adjacent first waveguides of the plurality of first waveguides changes, the Y component of the wave vector changes.
The optical scanning device according to claim 1. A plurality of phase shifters respectively connected directly or indirectly to the plurality of first waveguides;
By changing the phase of light supplied from the plurality of phase shifters to the plurality of first waveguides, the two first waveguides adjacent to each other among the plurality of first waveguides. A second adjustment element that changes the phase difference of the supplied light;
The optical scanning device according to claim 6, further comprising: A plurality of second waveguides disposed between the plurality of first waveguides and the plurality of phase shifters;
8. The optical scanning device according to claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of phase shifters includes a third waveguide connected to the optical waveguide layer via a second waveguide corresponding to the phase shifter. Each of the plurality of phase shifters includes a third waveguide including a material whose refractive index changes in response to voltage application or temperature change,
The second adjustment element changes a refractive index of the third waveguide by applying a voltage to the third waveguide or changing a temperature of the third waveguide, and Each of the phases of the light supplied from the phase shifter to the plurality of first waveguides is changed;
The optical scanning device according to claim 7 or 8. When the component of the second direction of the partial wave number vector of the light emitted in the third direction is an X component and the component of the first direction is a Y component,
The first adjustment element changes an X component of the wave vector,
The second adjustment element changes a Y component of the wave vector;
The optical scanning device according to claim 7. A part of the plurality of phase shifters supplies light from the second direction to a part of the plurality of first waveguides;
The other part of the plurality of phase shifters supplies light from the direction opposite to the second direction to the other part of the plurality of first waveguides. The optical scanning device described. A light source that emits light having a wavelength of λ in free space;
An optical splitter that branches the light from the light source and supplies the branched light to the plurality of phase shifters;
The optical scanning device according to claim 7, further comprising: Each of the plurality of phase shifters is
A fifth mirror having a third reflecting surface intersecting the third direction and extending in the second direction;
A sixth mirror having a fourth reflective surface facing the third reflective surface of the fifth mirror and extending in the second direction;
With
The fifth mirror is connected to the first mirror corresponding to the fifth mirror;
The sixth mirror is connected to the second mirror corresponding to the sixth mirror;
The plurality of phase shifters are directly connected to the plurality of first waveguides, respectively.
The light transmittance of the fifth and sixth mirrors is lower than the light transmittance of the first mirror,
The optical scanning device according to claim 7. 14. The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the first direction is orthogonal to the second direction. The optical scanning device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the plurality of first waveguides are arranged at equal intervals in the first direction. The center-to-center distance in the first direction of two adjacent first waveguides of the plurality of first waveguides is p,
When the center wavelength in the free space of the light propagating through the optical waveguide layer in each of the plurality of first waveguides is λ,
λ / 2 ≦ p ≦ λ / sin10 ^o
The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the optical scanning device satisfies the relationship: The optical scanning device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein at least one of the first and second mirrors includes a dielectric multilayer film. The optical waveguide layer includes a first material that changes a refractive index with respect to the light propagating through the optical waveguide layer when a voltage is applied;
The first adjustment element includes first and second electrodes sandwiching the optical waveguide layer, and changes the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer by applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes. ,
The optical scanning device according to claim 1. The first material is a semiconductor material;
The first electrode includes a p-type semiconductor,
The second electrode includes an n-type semiconductor,
The first adjustment element injects carriers into the semiconductor material by applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes, and changes the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer.
The optical scanning device according to claim 18. The first electrode includes a first conductive material;
The p-type semiconductor is disposed between the first conductive material and the optical waveguide layer,
The second electrode includes a second conductive material;
The optical scanning device according to claim 19, wherein the n-type semiconductor is disposed between the second conductive material and the optical waveguide layer. The optical waveguide layer further includes a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor,
The first material is a semiconductor material;
The p-type semiconductor is disposed between the first electrode and the semiconductor material;
21. The optical scanning device according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the n-type semiconductor is disposed between the second electrode and the semiconductor material. The first material is an electro-optic material;
The first adjustment element changes the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer by applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes.
The optical scanning device according to claim 18. The first material is a liquid crystal material;
The first adjustment element changes a refractive index anisotropy of the liquid crystal material by applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes, and changes the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer.
The optical scanning device according to claim 18. The optical waveguide layer includes a thermo-optic material whose refractive index changes with temperature change,
The first adjustment element includes first and second electrodes sandwiching the optical waveguide layer, and applies voltage to the first and second electrodes to heat the thermo-optic material, thereby causing the optical waveguide. Changing the refractive index of the layer,
The optical scanning device according to claim 1. The optical waveguide layer includes a thermo-optic material whose refractive index changes with temperature change,
The first adjustment element includes a heater, and changes the refractive index of the optical waveguide layer by heating the thermo-optic material by the heater.
The optical scanning device according to claim 1. The optical waveguide layer includes a gas or liquid material,
The first adjustment element includes an actuator connected to at least one of the first mirror and the second mirror;
The actuator changes the thickness of the optical waveguide layer by changing a distance between the first mirror and the second mirror;
The optical scanning device according to claim 1. The actuator includes first and second electrodes,
The first electrode is fixed to the first mirror;
The second electrode is fixed to the second mirror;
The actuator generates an electrostatic force between the electrodes by applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes, and changes the distance between the first mirror and the second mirror.
The optical scanning device according to claim 26. The actuator includes a piezoelectric material, and changes the distance between the first mirror and the second mirror by deforming the piezoelectric material.
The optical scanning device according to claim 26. The actuator includes a support member that supports the first mirror or the second mirror, and changes the distance between the first mirror and the second mirror by moving the support member. 27. The optical scanning device according to claim 26. The plurality of first mirrors of the plurality of first waveguides or the plurality of second mirrors of the plurality of first waveguides are portions of a plate-like third mirror,
27. The optical scanning device according to claim 26, wherein the actuator changes the distance between the first mirror and the second mirror by moving the third mirror. The plurality of first mirrors of the plurality of first waveguides are portions of a plate-like third mirror,
The plurality of second mirrors of the plurality of second waveguides are a plurality of portions of a plate-like fourth mirror,
27. The optical scan according to claim 26, wherein the actuator changes the distance between the first mirror and the second mirror by moving at least one of the third mirror and the fourth mirror. device. A waveguide array including a plurality of first waveguides arranged in a first direction;
A first adjustment element;
With
Each of the plurality of first waveguides is
An optical waveguide layer;
A first mirror having a first reflecting surface intersecting the third direction and extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction;
A second mirror having a second reflective surface facing the first reflective surface of the first mirror and extending in the second direction;
With
The third direction intersects a virtual plane parallel to the first and second directions;
The optical waveguide layer is located between the first mirror and the second mirror;
At least one of a refractive index and a thickness of the optical waveguide layer changes,
The first mirror has a higher light transmittance than the second mirror, transmits light incident on the opposite side of the first reflecting surface from the third direction,
The optical waveguide layer propagates the light transmitted through the first mirror in the second direction or a direction opposite to the second direction,
The first adjustment element changes the third direction, which is an incident direction of the light, by changing at least one of the refractive index and the thickness of the optical waveguide layer.
Optical receiver device. An optical scanning device according to any one of claims 1 to 31,
A photodetector that detects light emitted from the optical scanning device and reflected from an object;
A signal processing circuit for generating distance distribution data based on the output of the photodetector;
A light detection system comprising: A waveguide array comprising a plurality of first waveguides arranged in a first direction,
Each of the plurality of first waveguides is
An optical waveguide layer for propagating light in a second direction intersecting the first direction or in a direction opposite to the second direction;
A first mirror having a first reflecting surface intersecting a third direction and extending in the second direction;
A second mirror having a second reflective surface facing the first reflective surface of the first mirror and extending in the second direction;
With
The third direction intersects a virtual plane parallel to the first and second directions;
The optical waveguide layer is located between the first mirror and the second mirror;
At least one of a refractive index and a thickness of the optical waveguide layer changes,
The first mirror has a light transmittance higher than that of the second mirror, transmits a part of the light propagating in the optical waveguide layer, and transmits the part from the opposite side of the first reflecting surface. Exit in the third direction,
Waveguide array.

Images