Broadband suppression of the zero diffraction order of an SLM using its extended phase modulation range

The diffraction efficiency of a hologram displayed on a phase-only spatial light modulator (SLM) is maximal, if the SLM modulates the phase of the diffracted beam in a range between 0 and 2π. However, if the readout wavelength changes, or a broadband beam is used, due to dispersion this ideal modulation range cannot be maintained, which leads to lower diffraction efficiency and to the appearance of an undesired intense zero diffraction order. Here we show how an SLM with an extended phase modulation range of 4π can be used to display on-axis holograms with a strong suppression of the zero diffraction order in a wide spectral range, extending over 200 nm. The basic idea is to transform the original on-axis hologram into an off-axis hologram by adding a blazed grating and performing a modulo 2π operation, and then transforming it back by adding the conjugate grating, but without performing a subsequent modulo operation. The final hologram then spans over a phase range of 4π. The total diffracted field corresponds to that of the original on-axis hologram, but now the zero-order Fourier component is diffracted away from the optical axis. The same principle can be used to entangle the on-axis hologram with other phase structures, e.g. a random phase mask or a second hologram structure, followed by a subsequent addition of the conjugate mask, which may also suppress higher diffraction orders. The reconstructed holograms show a strong contrast enhancement in a broad wavelength range.