Holographic optical elements and charge coupled device technology at work in laser communications acquisition and tracking systems

In an effort to advance free space laser communication, Wright Laboratory´s Laser Communications Laboratory personnel contracted the design and fabrication of a wide field-of-view holographic lens to image incoming laser radiation onto an electronic position-sensing device. The lens was fabricated to operate at a wavelength of 850 nm and mounted on a charge injection device (CID) camera. The author describes the lens and the hardware interface that combines the lens, camera, and MicroVAX computer into a wide field-of-view laser radiation angle-of-arrival sensor. He also provides a comparison of CID and charge coupled device (CCD) array technology with other position-sensing devices such as quad cells for use in future laser communications systems