Analog FLC-VLSI Spatial Light Modulators for Scintillation Control in Imaging and Laser Propagation

Important emerging technologies such as adaptive optics (e.g., scintillation control), optical signal processing, and miniature displays require spatial light modulators (SLMs) which can control the amplitude or phase of optical wave fronts. In most cases suitable SLMs are not yet available. New SLM technologies and manufacturing processes must be developed in order to enable the economic and performance benefits offered by these technologies. Displaytech's binary ferroelectric liquid crystal SLMs (FLC-on-VLSI) are being used for some of these applications but SLMs with analog electro-optic modulation are badly needed to enable others such as scintillation control.Displaytech's recent advances in materials and devices for analog FLCs have made it feasible to begin development of the required analog SLMs. We propose to use these advances to produce an analog SLM larger than 128x128 pixels, and capable of KHz frame rates which can be used for scintillation control. This analog SLM technology will also be very valuable for next generation FLC-VLSI miniature displays, and for high speed optical signal processing systems such as correlators.