US 11,940,686 B2
Spatial light modulator incorporating aberration correction
Luke Stewart, Gladesville (AU); Glen W Baxter, Hornsby Heights (AU); and Jeremy Bolger, Sydney (AU)
Assigned to II-VI DELAWARE, INC., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed by II-VI Delaware, Inc., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed on Apr. 12, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/658,922.
Prior Publication US 2023/0324733 A1, Oct. 12, 2023
Int. Cl. G02F 1/1335 (2006.01); G02B 5/18 (2006.01); G02B 27/00 (2006.01); G02F 1/1343 (2006.01)
CPC G02F 1/133504 (2013.01) [G02B 5/1819 (2013.01); G02B 27/0037 (2013.01); G02F 1/133553 (2013.01); G02F 1/13356 (2021.01); G02F 1/13439 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A spatial light modulator comprising:
a liquid crystal material;
first and second electrodes disposed on opposing sides of the liquid crystal material and being configured to apply an electric potential across the liquid crystal material, the first electrode being at least partially transparent to allow passage of an incident wavefront of light into the liquid crystal material, the second electrode being reflective and being divided into a two-dimensional array of independently electrically controllable pixels that extend laterally across the spatial light modulator; and
a diffractive optical element disposed between the first and second electrodes and extending laterally across the spatial light modulator, the diffractive optical element having an array of diffracting formations formed from sub-wavelength structures,
wherein the array of diffracting formations define a phase profile, the phase profile being configured to modify the incident wavefront of light reflected off the second electrode and being configured to apply a position-dependent wavefront correction to the incident wavefront of light, wherein the wavefront correction applied by the phase profile is configured to provide a position-dependent focusing effect to the incident wavefront of light.