Patent ID: 6879431

Claim:
An optical deflection apparatus, comprising: a liquid crystal optical phase modulator including: a liquid crystal layer for deflecting incoming light; a first transparent substrate having an incident surface for taking in a light therefrom and a composite electrode facing the liquid crystal layer; a second transparent substrate having an emission surface for emitting out a deflected light therefrom and a common electrode facing the liquid crystal layer; a driver unit that drives the liquid crystal optical phase modulator; and a prism having a wedge-shape and located near the emission surface of the liquid crystal optical phase modulator and having an incident surface from which the deflected light enters and an emission surface from which the deflected angle enlarged light is emitted out, wherein the incident surface and the emission surface of the prism make a predetermined angle γ with each other, the composite electrode includes a plurality of individual electrodes, the individual electrodes are arranged to be substantially in parallel with each other, and the emission surface of the liquid crystal phase modulator and the incident surface of the prism are arranged such that each of the individual electrodes is substantially parallel to the emission surface of the prism.