Development of two-dimensional piezoelectric laser scanner with large steering angle and fast response characteristics.

We describe a two-dimensional piezoelectric laser scanner designed and tested to obtain a large steering angle of 1° and fast response characteristics of 200 Hz. To overcome the relatively small expansion capability of piezoelectric actuators, the displacement amplification mechanisms with two levers in series are employed to magnify the end tip of the lever which is connected to a 0.5-in. glass mirror. For fast response characteristics, the natural frequencies of the hinge mechanisms were calculated by using the finite element analysis technique. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed scanner, the hinge mechanism has been manufactured of titanium alloy and the natural frequencies of the hinge mechanism have been measured by sine sweep test. Also, the actual machining test on the burning paper has been done by using a high power laser, and it is shown that the proposed laser scanner is capable of steering the laser beam 1° with a frequency of 200 Hz.