Illumination system for optical modulators
US7532651B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 2, 2007 |
| Grant date | May 12, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 29, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S2301/206
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A phase plate and lens modify light beams emitted by an array of lasers to form an efficient illumination source for a MEMS light modulator array. The phase of the electric field emitted by the lasers is modified such that the after passing through a lens the beam profile at the lens focal plane has an approximately rectangular shape appropriate for illuminating a light modulator array. The phase plate may be constructed from a glass plate with rectangular notches etched in it or with rectangular ridges formed on it. Furthermore a light source, such as a laser, may be coupled to an adiabatically tapered optical waveguide in which a phase adjusting block is introduced in analogy to notches in a bulk phase plate. Phase modified light beams output from the waveguide system have similar focusing properties to those passing through a bulk phase plate.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.