Fast Steering Mirror Technology 13
2. Fast Steering Mirror Technology
Originally conceived for military/aerospace applications such as high-speed
target tracking and secure satellite-to-satellite communication, fast steering
mirror technology has been developed to the point where it is economically
viable for widespread commercial use in dynamic mirror alignment applica-
tions. This technology can be used to stabilize laser beams (Figure 1), track
work pieces for precision laser micro-machining, scan laser beams for real-
time confocal microscopy, track optical receivers for laser free-space com-
munication, and increase sharpness in sophisticated imaging systems.
Figure 1: Two fast steering mirrors used to compensate for input tilt errors.
A practical fast steering mirror head is shown in Figure 2. There are eight
basic head components: voice-coil actuators, mirror, mirror carrier, flexure
suspension, frame, housing, internal position sensors, and position sensor
electronics. These components work with the controller to produce the
precision rotation and speed characteristic of these devices.
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