Performance characteristics of an optically addressed ferroelectric liquid-crystal spatial light modulator

Key performance characteristics of an optically addressed ferroelectric liquid-crystal spatial light modulator have been measured and compare favorably with those of other commercially available spatial light modulators. Several characteristics that are important for optical pattern recognition, including imaging resolution, visibility, and response time, are discussed. Maximum resolution was measured to be 40 line pairs/mm at an imaging rate of 60 Hz. This differs from previously published results [Appl. Phys. Lett. 55, 537 (1989)], primarily because the device was operated so that good sensitivity was obtained with moderate illumination while the high resolution of the device was retained.