Digital binary MEMS wavefront control

US8107156B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• University of Rochester · US

Inventors

• Nicholas George · Pittsford, US
• Kedar Bhalchandra Khare · New Delhi, IN

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 28, 2006
• Grant date: Jan 31, 2012
• Expiry date: Jul 31, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B27/149
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a new type of phase screen, i.e., an opto-electronic device that can convert a distorted incoming optical wavefront into a plane wave or, conversely, transform a plane wave into a prescribed varying output wavefront. The basic concept involves novel binary all-digital MEMS interferometer configurations that can be used to create controlled and arbitrary optical wavefront using only 0,1 amplitude changes followed by differential propagation distances to convert these amplitude variations into controllable and/or continuous phase variations. Clustered pixel notions, such as Floyd-Steinberg, Stucki or other algorithms useful in digital half-tone printing, are simultaneously employed to create controllable grey-level variations as well as continuous phase variations. Desired grey-levels can be obtained wherein each pixel is formed by, e.g., a 3×3 or 5×5 cluster of mirrors. Both the filling-in of the outputs of the binary mirror (0,1) and the grey-levels are accomplished simply by spatial averaging over a short propagation distance.