Optically addressed gray scale electric charge-accumulating spatial light modulator

摘要

A technique for modulating light by an optically addressed, electric charge accumulating spatial light modulator achieves substantially monotonic gray scale response. Embodiments digitally modulate the voltage across a photoreceptive material included in the spatial light modulator. The digital modulation scheme entails illuminating the photoreceptor with a series of light pulses propagating from an LCoS, in which the durations of the light pulses and their positions in time combine to produce binary-weighted equivalent rms voltages on the photoreceptor. The light pulses originate from a light-emitting diode or other switchable light source, and the timing of the light pulses is controlled such that they are emitted only when the associated LCoS is in a stable state. Emitting light pulses while the LCoS is in a stable state avoids non-monotonic behavior.

主权项

1. A method of optically writing to a charge integrating gray-scale optical read light valve comprising:
applying a plurality of selected write cell voltages at a pixel location of an optical write light valve during a frame interval; after the pixel location achieves an optically stable state for each of the selected write cell voltages, modulating a write light source to illuminate the pixel location so as to emit from the pixel location write light pulses; directing the write light pulses to a localized portion of an electro-optic layer of a charge integrating gray-scale optical read light valve that integrates the write light pulses continuously during the frame interval; and sequentially repeating the applying, modulating, and directing for a plurality of selected write cell voltages over subsequent frame intervals.