Patent ID: 6839172

Claim:
A micro-opto-electromechanical systems (MOEMS) designed for a scanning optical delay line, including: a) a grating; b) a kinoform shaped microlens having a focal length of F and placed at a distance F from the grating; c) a scanner mirror placed at a distance F from the lens and placed such that an incident wave traversing an incident path will be diffracted by the grating and directed through the microlens to strike the scanner mirror, the scanner mirror being controlled over a range of scanning angles; and d) a bounced mirror placed in a path parallel to an incident beam path; wherein each of the components is fabricated using MOEMS technology to ensure the alignment between components wherein at least approximately 100 pico-second delays are delayed and scanner mirror is controllable to direct the diffracted beam to the scanner mirror to strike the bounced mirror retro-reflecting the beam from the bounced mirror such that the beam retraces its path back through the system in a reciprocal manner, finally exiting from the system along the path it entered.