Real-time, whole-field speckle photography using a bistable optically addressed spatial light modulator

The application of a bistable optically addressed spatial light modulator for real-time visualization of solid-body displacement fields is described. Double-exposure speckle patterns are recorded on the spatial light modulator and a whole-field filtering technique is used to generate fringes of constant displacement.     

Digital-to-analog image conversion with an optically addressed spatial light modulator

The possibility of using ferroelectric liquid-crystal optically addressed spatial light modulators to transfer images from silicon backplane devices is investigated. We propose a drive scheme for optically addressed spatial light modulators to perform digital-to-analog image conversion based on the speed performances of current and future silicon backplane devices and on temporal averaging. The validity of the drive scheme is experimentally demonstrated with a LED used to encode the gray levels, and we discuss the performance of the display system.     

Direct recording of thin dynamic diffraction gratings in optically addressed spatial light modulators with a diffraction efficiency of more than 50%

The subject of investigation is conditions under which thin asymmetric-groove dynamic diffraction gratings with a diffraction efficiency of more than 50% can be recorded in liquid-crystal optically addressed spatial light modulators.     

Contrast-improved joint transform correlator using spatial light modulators

When real time optical pattern recognition is carried out by means of spatial light modulators, a practical situation may arise in which the size of the Fourier transform and the intensity of the light source are fixed. Then, provided the input scene and the size of the spatial light modulator allow it, an interesting possibility for improving the overall intensity in the Fourier plane is the replication of the scene, either along a regular lattice structure or a random replication. In this work we analyse the usefulness of these methods, both to obtain diffraction images or cross-correlation between images in a joint transform correlator.     

Optically-addressed spatial light modulators

The performance characteristics of three unique optically-addressed spatial light modulators (SLMs) have been experimentally investigated. The measured parameters include resolution, visibility, imaging response time, and write light sensitivity. The modulators investigated include two relatively new technologies, the ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) SLM from the University of Colorado-Boulder and the amorphous silicon photoconductive twisted nematic liquid crystal SLM from GEC-Marconi Research, and a well-established industry benchmark, the Hughes Liquid Crystal Light Valve (LCLV).     

铁电液晶光寻址空间光调制器响应速度的宏模型研究

将铁电液晶(FLC)的本征电路模型扩展到以FLC为调制层,a Si∶H为光敏层的光寻址空间光调制器(OASLM),建立了FLC OASLM的宏模型。用电路方法模拟了控制光强度以及外部激励信号的特征参数对FLC OASLM响应速度的影响。模拟结果表明,FLC OASLM的响应速度随写入光强度和激励信号幅度的增大而加快,随擦除光强度和激励信号频率的提高而减慢。同时,激励信号存在一个上界频率,当频率参数取值超过界值时,响应峰值迅速下降。     

On the possibility of phasing subapertures with a Zernike cell and an optically addressed spatial light modulator

The possibility of phasing a large number of subapertures with a spatial light modulator optically addressed by the output beam of a Zernike interferometer is investigated theoretically. The optimum parameters of the system, the requirements for its elements, the range of compensated distortions upon phasing, and the phasing quality are determined. It is demonstrated that the proposed technique allows one to compensate effectively for the wavefront distortions of the piston difference, the tilt, and the curvature type with a total depth of the phase relief up to 8λ. In this case, it is possible to obtain a beam with a Strehl ratio larger than 0.8.     

Influence of the alignment surface on the characteristics of optically addressed liquid-crystal modulators

Two optically addressed transmission-type liquid-crystal modulators based on a nematic liquid crystal-a-Si: C: H photoconductor structure are studied. The modulators differ in the initial tilt angle of the director and in the barrier height at the interface. It is shown that these parameters influence the dependence of the diffraction efficiency on the feed conditions, recording pulse repetition rate, and spatial frequency of the recorded grating. The spatial resolution of the modulators at a level of half the diffraction efficiency is equal to 75 mm⁻¹. The maximal diffraction efficiency is high, 69%, owing to the asymmetric profile of the grating, which arises at a large initial tilt angle of the liquid crystal director.     

Speckle metrology employing LCTV spatial light modulators

Liquid crystal televisions have been employed as spatial light modulators in a variety of optical image processing applications. We have used such devices to develop techniques in speckle metrology for the electronic addition of speckle patterns and the display of speckle correlation, and also for the real-time display of object motion. Factors which affect the performance in terms of the useful working range and the accuracy of displacement measurement are discussed. Some modifications to the LCTV which should increase the potential of these devices as spatial light modulators, when used in both amplitude and phase modulation, are considered briefly.     

铁电液晶光寻址空间光调制器性能分析

针对氢化非晶硅/铝/铁电液晶结构的光寻址空间光调制器（OASLM）,依据其等效电路模型,利用Pspice和Matlab软件对其分辨率、响应速度、对比度及灰度响应等性能进行了分析。结果表明:在铁电液晶（FLC）层厚度一定的情况下,减小光敏感层（a-Si:H层）的厚度可以提高FLC-OASLM的调制传递函数,从而提高分辨率;在其他参量一定的情况下,FLC-OASLM的响应速度随写入光光强增大而增大（写入光从0.08 mW/cm2增大到10 mW/cm2,延迟时间减小110 s,上升时间减小154 s）,随擦除光光强增大而减小（擦除光从0增大到1 mW/cm2,延迟时间增大41 s,上升时间仅增加3 s）;FLC-OASLM的对比度随控制光光强增大而增大,最终趋于一个稳定值21∶1;在其他参量不变时,随着擦除光光强的增大,输出光响应呈现等级下降,且发现当擦除光光强达到一定值（3 mW/cm2）后,擦除光的改变主要影响下降时间而对上升时间几乎无影响;合理设计激励源信号波形,可以得到超过十级灰度输出,表明擦除光具有实现FLC OASLM的灰度响应的功能。     

Non-linear response of liquid crystal spatial light modulators

This technical note outlines the results of a series of experiments performed on two spatial light modulators. The two modulators were a Hughes Corporation LCLV and an optically-addressed ferroelectric liquid crystal SLM fabricated by the University of Colorado at Boulder and Displaytech. These experiments were performed to determine the modulated response of the read beam as a function of the write light intensity.     

InGaAs/GaAs multiple-quantum-well modulators and switches

The design, fabrication and characterization of electrooptical modulators and switches based on pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs multiple-quantum-well (MQW) structures is presented. The absorption and refractive index changes (, n) of In_0.2Ga_0.8As/GaAs MQW structures due to the quantum-confined Stark effect are examined in detail. The figures of merit /₀ and n/₀ give information on the design of modulation and switching devices. Based on these results, we develop two types of efficient and high-speed modulators, vertical and waveguide modulators, and for the first time an InGaAs/GaAs intersectional X-type switch. Recent experimental results for each device are presented.     

基于空间光调制器的非相干数字全息单次曝光研究

菲涅耳非相干相关全息术(Fresnel incoherent correlation holography,FINCH)利用在空间光调制器(spatial light modulator,SLM)上加载双透镜模式对同一物点光分束自相干,并通过改变加载的相位因子得到不同的相移全息图.本系统利用SLM可分区编码调制特性,将FINCH成像中SLM上分三次加载的0°,120°,240°相位双透镜掩模各提取1/3组成一幅复合相移模式加载,并研究了三种相位分布方式对FINCH成像质量的影响.结果表明:三个相位在SLM上分布间隔越大,再现像越清晰.在此基础上,提出了一种新的掩模加载方式,在SLM加载透镜阵列,每一个相位因子对应一个双透镜,具有一个光轴.实验表明,通过这种加载方式,通过SLM后形成的三个相移图能够一次在电荷耦合器上记录,并且三个相移图不重叠,然后通过MATLAB编程计算将不同相移角度的全息图分别提取出来,通过三步相移计算合成一幅包含有物光波的复值全息图,最后通过数值再现算法重建待测样品.此系统可用于对光源相干性较低的实时成像系统,也为微小形变测量、动态物体的观测提供了新方法,为非相干数字全息术的发展提供了新思路.     

Super-resolution imaging in digital holography by using dynamic grating with a spatial light modulator

A super-resolution imaging method using dynamic grating based on liquid-crystal spatial light modulator (SLM) is developed to improve the resolution of a digital holographic system. The one-dimensional amplitude cosine grating is loaded on the SLM, which is placed between the object and hologram plane in order to collect more high-frequency components towards CCD plane. The point spread function of the system is given to confirm the separation condition of reconstructed images for multiple diffraction orders. The simulation and experiments are carried out for a standard resolution test target as a sample, which confirms that the imaging resolution is improved from 55.7 μm to 31.3 μm compared with traditional lensless Fourier transform digital holography. The unique advantage of the proposed method is that the period of the grating can be programmably adjusted according to the separation condition.     

Beam steering approach for high-precision spatial light modulators

Steering accuracy is limited by the quantized phase modulation values and the number of phase pixels for spatial light modulators （SLMs）.Conventional methods of beam steering lack optimum precision.In this letter,a beam steering approach based on horizontally moving phase steps is proposed.Compared with the conventional methods,this novel method is able to reduce the maximum normalized steering error in SLM significantly by a factor proportional to the number of pixels.In addition,steering errors of high steering angles can be drastically reduced by a factor proportional to the product of the number of pixels and the quantized phase levels; the number of high-precision steering angles increases with the number of pixels or the quantized phase levels increasing.     

Full-range, complex spatial light modulator for real-time holography

We demonstrate a full-range complex and transmissive spatial light modulator (SLM) for simultaneous and independent amplitude and phase modulation of an input wave field. Arbitrary scalar complex optical fields are generated by stacking a pixelated liquid crystal display operating in phase-only (2π) modulation with passive polarization-sensitive components. The principle is based on optical combining the light fields of two neighboring phase-only modulating pixels, which were made orthogonally polarized by a structured half-wave plate, then passing through a birefringent plate to laterally shift one of the beams collinear to the other, and finally bringing to interference by a linear polarizer. Complex modulation by the proposed SLM is experimentally verified in monochrome green operation.     

Digital phase-shifting interferometer with an electrically addressed liquid-crystal spatial light modulator

A digital phase-shifting interferometer with a liquid-crystal-display coupled, parallel aligned, nematic liquid-crystal spatial light modulator is developed. The optical phase shift in the Michelson-type polarization interferometer is achieved by a digital phase shift of a grating displayed on the spatial light modulator. Accurate experimental results of using the heterodyne system for pi/2 phase steps were demonstrated. A phase-shifting interferometer with no moving parts and no requirement for calibration of the value of the phase shift was achieved.     

用于高功率密度光束控制的光寻址光阀研制

为解决光寻址液晶光阀在高功率密度光束控制领域的应用限制,介绍一种可用于高功率密度激光系统的光寻址液晶光阀,该光阀开关比不低于140∶1,可在高于2300 W/cm²的连续激光系统中正常工作。同时,所研制的光阀可在高重频吉瓦(GW)级功率密度的fs脉冲激光系统中正常工作,在该系统最大功率密度激光作用下,光阀未见明显温度变化,该脉冲激光系统最大平均功率密度超过300 W/cm²。     

Lensless Vanderlugt optical correlator using two phase-only spatial light modulators（Invited Paper）

A lensless Vanderlugt optical correlator using two phase-only spatial light modulators （SLMs） is proposed. The SLMs are used for displaying input and filter patterns respectively. The SLMs are also used as programmable lenses in order to realize the lensless construction. This lensless system is simple and its alignment adjustment is easy. The performance of the SLMs as programmable lenses is also described.     

Development of spatial light modulators with nonlinear organic materials

An electrically addressable spatial light modulator is designed using nonlinear organic materials for optical information processing and display. One candidates for spatial light modulator (SLM) material is a nonlinear organic polymer of poly-methyl-methacrylate doped with disperse red 1. The measured electrooptic coefficient r₃₃ is 2.9 pm/V at the wavelength of 633 nm. Resonator structure for a material is discussed with the goal of increasing electrooptic effects for SLM applications.