Optically controlled beam forming techniques are effective for phased-array antenna control. We have developed the Fourier transform optical beamformer (FT-OBF). The antenna radiation pattern inputted into an amplitude spatial light modulator (A-SLM) is optically Fourier transformed to a specific phase-front light beam equivalent to an antenna excitation in the FT-OBF. Optical signal processing, used the Fourier transform optics, is effective to large-scale, two-dimensional, and high-speed signal processing. To implement a flexible and finer antenna beam pattern control, we use an A-SLM as input image formation of the FT optics. And, to realize a small-size FT-OBF, we use symmetric triplet lenses with convex, concave and convex lens. The total optical system becomes below 1/5 length compared with the length using single lens. Finally, we evaluated the developed FT-OBF with the generated amplitude and phase distributions, which excitation signal of an array antenna. We measured an antenna radiation beam pattern, beam steering and beam width control, in the C-band. Measurement results agreed with theoretical calculated results. These results show the feasibility of the spatial light modulator based FT-OBF.

A new hybrid model to calculate echoes and ultrasonic fields scattered by flaws is presented. In this model, transmitted fields by a transducer and fields scattered by flaws are calculated using the Rayleigh integral and the FDTD method, respectively. Received echo signals by the transducer are obtained by the inner product of the transmitted fields and the scattered ones at each grid for the FDTD method, and integrating those in a calculation area. Since the calculation area for the FDTD method can be limited around flaws, the calculation time is short and computer memory usage can be reduced. Experiments are done for two types of test object to confirm the validity of the hybrid model. As a result, experimental results are in good agreement with calculated ones.

Acoustic field analysis results of surface acoustic wave dispersive delay lines using inclined chirp IDTs on a Y-Z LiNbO3 substrate are described. The calculated results are compared with optical measurements. The angular spectrum of the plane wave method is applied to calculation of the acoustic fields considering the anisotropy of the SAW velocity by using the polynomial approximation. Acoustic field propagating along the Z-axis of the substrate, which is the main beam excited by the inclined chirp IDT, shows asymmetric distribution between the +Z and -Z directions. Furthermore the SAW beam propagating in a slanted direction with an angle of +18 from the Z axis to the X-axis is observed. It is described that the SAW beam propagating in a slanted direction is the first side lobe excited by the inclined chirp IDT. The acoustic field shows asymmetric distribution along the X-axis because of the asymmetric structure of the inclined chirp IDT. Finally, acoustic field of a two-IDT connected structure which consists of the same IDTs electrically connected in series is presented. The acoustic field of the two-IDT connected structure is calculated to be superposed onto the calculated result of the acoustic field exited by one IDT on the calculated result shifted along the X-axis. Two SAW beams excited by IDTs are observed. The distributions of the SAW beams are not in parallel. The calculated results show good agreement with the optical measurement results.