| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a compact reflective optical modulator with a high extinction ratio. <P>SOLUTION: The reflective optical modulator 100 is equipped with a reflection mirror 3, a reflective polarization diffraction grating 20, a liquid crystal element 30 and a means to control liquid crystal molecules constituting the liquid crystal element 30. In the reflective optical modulator, incident light passes through the liquid crystal element and is made incident on the reflective polarization diffraction grating, first linearly polarized light out of the incident light with a first polarization direction is not diffracted by the reflective polarization diffraction grating 20 but passes through it, is reflected with the reflection mirror 3 and is emitted from the liquid crystal element, and second linearly polarized light with a polarization direction vertically intersecting that of the first linearly polarized light is diffracted by the reflective polarization diffraction grating 20 and is emitted from the liquid crystal element in a direction different from a direction of the emitted light of the first linearly polarized light. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI |
