Continuously operated spatial light modulator apparatus and method for adaptive optics
US5396364A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 30, 1992 |
| Grant date | Mar 7, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 30, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B26/06
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A spatial light modulator that is particularly suited for adaptive optics systems includes a charge transfer plate in which accumulated charge is continuously drained from the charge transfer pins, allowing the modulator to be operated in a continuous mode with a very rapid speed of response. Charge is drained through RC circuits that consist of inherent or discrete resistors and inherent capacitances associated with the pins. A lenslet array focuses an input beam onto the curvature bases of pixels in an associated deformable mirror, thereby obtaining reflections from the mirror with generally flat wavefronts and a greatly increased optical efficiency; a companion lenslet array and mirror combination outside the SLM compensates pixel inversions produced by the first lenslet array. The charge transfer plate is made gas impervious by fabricating the charge transfer pins as thermally migrated conductors, and conductive electric shield pins are preferably also provided to shield the charge transfer pins from each other.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.