ABSTRACT
There are a great many applications of lasers for which scanning devices are required; these applications place a wide range of performance requirements on the scanner. Basic scanner specifications include speed, resolution, and random access time, and the choice of a scanner will be determined by these parameters. Acousto-optic (AO) scanners are best suited to those systems which are of moderate cost, since the cost of AO Bragg cells and the associated drive electronics are by no means trivial, and for which the resolution requirement is about 1000 spots. In addition, AO technology is most appropriate where random access times on the order of 10 sec are needed, or where performing intensity modulation on the laser beam, as in image recording, may be desired. There are currently many systems employing AO scanners, perhaps the most familiar being laser printers, in which the scanner capability is an excellent match to the system requirements. Large-area television display was one of the first applications considered for AO scanners, and they perform this function very well, although such display systems are relatively uncommon. These, as well as other applications of AO scanners, will be described in detail in a later section.
