Exhibitor Press Releases

6/2/2009

NTT-AT ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF INDUSTRY’S FIRST FULLY-ADJUSTABLE, MULTI-DIRECTIONAL BEAM-STEERING SCANNER

CLEO/IQEC 2009 Expo, Baltimore, MD, Tuesday, June 2, 2009 – NTT Advanced Technologies (NTT-AT) today announced the availability of a breakthrough KTN Scanner Module and KTN Scanner Chip. NTT-AT’s KTN Scanner Module is the industry’s first fully-adjustable, multi-directional beam-steering scanner. NTT-AT will exhibit and demonstrate its new products in booth #1513.

The KTN Scanner Module is equipped with electro-optic KTN (potassium tantalate niobate, KTa1-xNbxO3) crystals that are capable of steering light. For the past several years, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) has been pursuing basic research on compact and high-speed optical scanners equipped with electro-optic KTN crystals. Upon becoming commercially ready, NTT licensed the technology to NTT-AT.

KTN Scanners Introduce Previously Unavailable Capabilities and Benefits
The most common beam scanners are mirror-based ones, namely polygon, galvano or MEMS mirrors, and are widely used for laser processing, imaging, printing and copying. Yet these conventional scanners employ mechanical movement that hampers improvements in miniaturization, increased operational speeds, and adjustable, multi-directional scanning capabilities. KTN scanners, on the other hand, are not hindered with these limitations. Compared to conventional scanner devices, KTN scanners introduce a range of new capabilities and benefits previously unavailable, including:

• The KTN optical scanner has no moving parts because the deflection stems from electron redistribution induced by applying an external voltage. This unique electron redistribution makes it possible to achieve very fast operating speeds ranging from DC to 1 MHz. So if a laser radar is equipped with the KTN optical scanner, it can detect an object at a higher speed.

• NTT-AT’s KTN Scanner is 100 times smaller than existing ones, which will appeal to manufacturers planning to miniaturize various devices. The scanner is comprised of a KTN chip with electrodes, and because the small KTN chip size is just a few millimeters in length, the KTN Scanner Module is only 2 x 3 x 6 centimeters (cm) in size.

• Since the beam deflection angle is a simple function of applied voltage, it is easy to steer the beam. For example, if the applied voltage is quantized, the beam angle changes equivalent to the voltage, which is a digital movement. Moreover, a continuous change in the applied voltage causes a continuous change in the deflection angle. Namely, NTT’s KTN Scanner Module can handle any deflection mode, including analog and digital scanning. This is a beneficial feature for laser radars and laser scanning displays.

Editor’s Note: Artwork available upon request.

Press Contact:
Carmen Hughes
Ignite PR
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C: +1.650.576.6444
Carmen@ignitepr.com