1024 x 1024 Liquid Crystal Multi-Level Spatial Light Modulator

Success in recent high-speed multi-level spatial light modulator (SLM) developments has led to a desire for increased resolution at these high frame rates. Applications such as optical correlation, holographic storage, and multi-spot beam-steering would all benefit from the development of a very high-resolution high-speed multi-level SLM. Today Boulder Nonlinear Systems (BNS) offers several high-speed liquid crystal SLMs custom designed for use in high-end optical systems. The most advanced SLM is our 512x512 pixel multi-level SLM that can operate at frame rates exceeding 1000-Hz. However, many applications require even higher resolution to maximize the processing gain achieved from the highly parallel nature of the SLM. BNS proposes to develop a multi-level 1024x1024 SLM with 5-micron pixels and 1000-Hz frame rate. In Phase I, BNS developed a conceptual design for the system. The Phase II effort completes the development by fabricating and testing the 1024x1024 SLM system.