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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Shaping the Amplitude and Phase of Laser Beams by Using a Phase-only Spatial Light Modulator
Published on: January 28, 2019
Modeling of the diffraction efficiency and polarization sensitivity for a liquid crystal 2D spatial light modulator
Richard James1, F Aníbal Fernández, Sally E Day
1Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London, UK. r.james@ee.ucl.ac.uk
Abstract:
A nematic liquid crystal spatial light modulator used as a phase-modulating device and operating in the reflective mode is analyzed using three-dimensional modeling. Two configurations, which differ in their electrode placement relative to a fixed quarter-wave plate, are considered across a range of steering directions, with the grating conformal and in some cases oblique to the pixel grid. For each steering direction the sensitivity of the diffraction orders to the polarization state of the incident wavefront is studied. Optimal alignment of the liquid crystal is suggested to reduce this sensitivity.
