A system for precise laser beam angular steering

A system for precise angular laser beam deflection by using a plane mirror is presented. The mirror was fixed to two supports attached to its edges. This article details the theoretical basis of how this deflector works. The spring deflection of a flat circular metal plate under a uniform axial buckling was used and the mechanical stress was generated by a piezoelectric layer. The characteristics of the deformation of the plate versus the voltage control of the piezoelectrics were examined and the value of the change resolution possible to obtain was estimated. An experimental system is presented and an experiment performed to examine this system. As a result, a resolution of displacement of 10-8 rad and a range of 10-5 rad were obtained.