Single preloaded piezoelectric-ceramic-stack-actuator-based fast steering mirror with an ultrahigh natural frequency

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Adaptive optics systems require fast steering mirrors (FSMs) with high bandwidth and large angular ranges.
• Existing FSMs often face limitations in natural frequency and angular excursion, hindering performance in demanding applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and characterize a novel fast steering mirror (FSM) designed for high-bandwidth adaptive optics.
• To achieve an ultrahigh natural frequency and a large angular range in an FSM.
• To leverage a preloaded piezoelectric ceramic stack actuator (PCSA) for enhanced FSM performance.

Main Methods:

• Structural design of an FSM incorporating a preloaded PCSA.
• Theoretical analysis using static and dynamic models.
• Experimental validation of the FSM's performance characteristics.

Main Results:

• The proposed FSM achieved a first natural frequency of 6660 Hz.
• The FSM demonstrated a large angular range of up to 8.4 mrad.
• Performance metrics surpass those of currently available FSMs.

Conclusions:

• The novel FSM design effectively meets the stringent requirements of high-bandwidth adaptive optics.
• The use of a preloaded PCSA is crucial for achieving superior natural frequency and angular range.
• This FSM technology offers significant advancements for optical system performance.