Wide-angle, low-voltage electro-optic beam deflection based on space-charge-controlled mode of electrical conduction in KTa1-xNbxO3

An electro-optic beam deflector with unprecedented performance is demonstrated. A full deflection angle of 250 mrad (=14.3 degrees) has been achieved by applying only +/- 250 V to a 0.5-mm-thick KTa1-xNbxO3 crystal with a short interaction length of 5.0 mm. The operating principle is investigated and the origin of the deflection phenomenon is attributed to a nonuniform electric field induced by space-charge-controlled electrical conduction in the crystal. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.