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Analysis of multiple internal reflections in a parallel aligned liquid crystal on silicon SLM
Optics Express
|November 18, 2014
Summary
Multiple internal reflections in liquid-crystal on silicon spatial light modulators cause significant optical modulation changes. These effects, including coupled amplitude modulation and reduced phase modulation, can be leveraged to enhance diffraction grating performance.
Area of Science:
- Optics
- Materials Science
- Photonics
Background:
- Spatial light modulators (SLMs) are crucial optical components.
- Reflective parallel-aligned liquid-crystal on silicon (PAL-LCoS) SLMs are widely used.
- Internal reflections can impact SLM performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze multiple internal reflection effects on PAL-LCoS SLMs.
- To model the observed optical modulation phenomena.
- To explore potential applications of these effects.
Main Methods:
- Experimental analysis of a commercial PAL-LCoS SLM.
- Illumination with varying wavelengths and angles of incidence.
- Development of a simplified physical model.
Main Results:
- Observed non-negligible Fabry-Perot (FP) effect due to the liquid crystal layer.
- Identified modifications to pure phase modulation: coupled amplitude modulation, non-linear phase response, unmodulated light, and reduced phase modulation with increasing angle of incidence.
- Demonstrated that multiple reflections can double the phase modulation depth of diffraction gratings.
Conclusions:
- Multiple internal reflections significantly alter the optical modulation of PAL-LCoS SLMs.
- A physical model can quantitatively explain these FP effects.
- These reflection effects can be advantageously utilized to enhance the performance of optical elements like diffraction gratings.
