Interaction of multiple distortions in spatial light modulators

Spatial light modulators are the key components in real-time optical image-processing systems. The phase and the intensity of their outputs will often depart from ideal behavior. An experimental method is described that permits the effects of multiple distortions, present simultaneously, to be modeled. A computer simulation of a bismuth silicon oxide-based correlator is presented, with spatial light modulators subject to three types of distortion, including phase and amplitude. The experimental method permits both the main effects of the distortions and their interactions to be predicted. Combining all the distortions simultaneously gives a more accurate assessment of the suitability of a spatial light modulator for a given optical processing task. Images of 256 × 256 pixels were used, and the simulation took 15 min. with a Sun SPARCstation 2.