Spatial light modulators (SLM) offer a broad range of opportunities in optics. Especially liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) devices are in common use, due to their extreme high spatial resolution and up-scalable production capabilities compared to other technologies. Still, the architectural complexity of these displays causes well known phase errors, such as the inherent backplane curvature, crosstalk between adjacent pixels or spatial varying phase response (SVPR). In our latest work we presented a robust method to characterize the 2D resolved phase response of a SLM by means of a Twyman- Green interferometer and how to calculate a compensation phase mask. Based on the non-linear deviation of the pixel retardation measurements, it was indicated that a pure LC layer thickness variation is not the only contributor to the SVPR. In this work we want to propose a more representative model by taking interfering reflections of different layers, the socalled Etalon effect, into account. The 2D pixel phase response was simulated via Ericksen-Leslie equation and included in the transfer matrix method. The introduced Etalon model is validated by complementary measurements for different center wavelengths. A white-light monochromator was added to the setup to adjust these properties accordingly. First implications of systematic error compensation will be discussed.
Amongst many research applications, liquid crystal on Silicon spatial light modulators (LCoS SLM) are used in telecommunication applications as a beam steering device. The efficiency of the device is determined by the reflectivity of its backplane and the efficiency of the addressed phase function. While a dielectric mirror coating (DMC) helps improve the reflectivity, fringing field effects are also enhanced, leading to a decrease in diffraction efficiency. To minimize the thickness of the dielectric mirror, properly identifying the relevant parameter, which has an impact on the reflectivity of the backplane, is important. From experiment results and simulation results from the finite element method, we found the pixel shape as the relevant parameter. With the pixel shape taken into consideration, we show an example of optimized DMC.
Accurate optical modeling for design and optimization of liquid crystal on silicon spatial light modulators (LCoS SLMs) is important for phase-related applications. Traditional matrix method cannot accurately predict the optical performance when the LC distribution is complex, therefore the rigorous finite element method (FEM) is preferred. However, the optical modeling of LCoS is a multidimensional problem, which is difficult to simulate with FEM. Here, we present the development of an improved FEM by combining the scattering matrix method with the domain decomposition method to reduce the computational burden for optical simulation of LCoS. Furthermore, a 2D simulation example with phase grating displayed on LCoS is presented and compared with experiment.
There are many important applications for phase-only liquid crystal on Silicon-based spatial light modulators (LCOS SLMs). Among the applications, the diffractive beam splitting, beam shaping and beam steering with LCOS SLM are finding more and more use in telecommunication applications (e.g. wavelength selective switch for ROADM, space and mode division multiplexing). However, many effects of LCOS device have to be considered if we want to get high quality output light field. For example, the ideal phase, intensity and polarization distribution in far field are usually deteriorated by the pixelated metal structure and fringing field effects. Thus, the total efficiency is decreased. By using electro-optical and electromagnetic simulation methods, we can properly incorporate the effects that influence the optical performance of LCOS and optimize the design. Furthermore we report the implementation of the high-performance high-resolution LCOS SLM for the telecommunication C- and L-band with the average insertion loss (IL) of less than 0.2 dB, achieved by the reflectivity-enhancement coating on the LCOS backplane. The experimental results on reflectivity, diffraction efficiency, crosstalk and other important parameters are compared with the theoretical predictions.
We report about the implementation of the liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) microdisplay with 1920 by 1080 resolution and 720 Hz frame rate. The driving solution is FPGA-based. The input signal is converted from the ultrahigh-resolution HDMI 2.0 signal into HD frames, which follow with the specified 720 Hz frame rate. Alternatively the signal is generated directly on the FPGA with built-in pattern generator. The display is showing switching times below 1.5 ms for the selected working temperature. The bit depth of the addressed image achieves 8 bit within each frame. The microdisplay is used in the fringe projection-based 3D sensing system, implemented by Fraunhofer IOF.
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