Acousto-Optical Tunable Transmissive Grating Beam Splitter

We present a tunable transmissive grating beam splitter for multiple laser line separation based on acoustooptic interaction in tellurium dioxide. Acousto-optic devices are well known for light modulation, frequency shifting, filtration or deflection. Unlike the classical operating modes of acousto-optic devices, we consider the simultaneous diffraction of several optical wavelengths by a single ultrasonic frequency. The device is based on the Bragg anisotropic interaction in the specific "tangent phase matching" configuration. The acousto-optic interaction takes place with a single ultrasonic frequency and the diffraction efficiency remains high over a wide optical spectral range. The different diffracted beams are then angularly well separated, due to the slow velocity of the ultrasonic wave propagating in tellurium dioxide. The optical bandwidth is directly related to the operating ultrasonic frequency. Numerical calculations were carried out to determine the main parameters of the device: operating ultrasonic frequency, optical bandwidth, tunability range, crystalline cut and transducer length. A practical device has been designed for visible spectrum. Experimental results are presented as for example a spectral bandwidth from 450 nm to 550 nm with a carrier frequency f(0) = 125 MHz.