Color Dependent Aperture Stop

摘要

Optical systems are provided that include illumination sources, micro-mirror array optical modulators, and an optical element. The micro-mirror array optical modulators can selectively modulate light beams, redirect light by diffraction and reflection, and provide an output modulated light beam that exhibits a diffraction handedness dependent on the spectral bandwidth of the light incident thereupon. The optical element has a color dependent aperture that defines portions of output modulated light beams that are transmitted and remaining portions that are blocked. An efficiency and contrast of each the output modulated light beams acquired by the optical element can be independently determined by a narrow spectral bandwidth of each of the light beams, the spectral characteristics of the color dependent aperture, and the diffraction handedness of the micro-mirror array optical modulators for the associated spectral bandwidth.

主权项

1. An optical system, comprising:
a first illumination source for providing a first light beam having a first spectral bandwidth; a second illumination source for providing a second light beam having a second spectral bandwidth; a first micro-mirror array optical modulator for selectively modulating the first light beam to encode data thereon; a second micro-mirror array optical modulator for selectively modulating the second incident light beam to encode data thereon, wherein each of the first micro-mirror array optical modulator and the second micro-mirror array optical modulator is adapted for redirecting light by both diffraction and reflection and for providing an output modulated light beam exhibiting a diffraction handedness dependent upon the spectral bandwidth of the light incident thereupon; and an optical element for collecting the output modulated light beams from both the first micro-mirror array optical modulator and the second micro-mirror array optical modulator, the optical element having at least one color dependent aperture that defines portions of the output modulated light beams which are transmitted and remaining portions which are blocked, wherein an efficiency and contrast of each the output modulated light beams acquired by the optical element are configured to be independently determined by a narrow spectral bandwidth of each of the first light beam and the second light beam, the spectral characteristics of the color dependent aperture, and the diffraction handedness of each of the first micro-mirror array optical modulator and the second micro-mirror array optical modulator for the associated spectral bandwidth.