System and method for wavelength-selective attenuation and modulation

A method of spectrally shaping light comprising:

• generating light including a plurality of wavelengths;
• dispersing the input beam into a number of dispersed beams separated by wavelength using a dispersive element, the dispersive element comprising a prism;
• directing the number of dispersed beams onto a plurality of pixels of a spatial light modulator (SLM) comprising a linear array of a plurality of active ribbons suspended over a reflective surface of a substrate at an acute angle of incidence relative to a long axis of the linear array;
• individually controlling each pixel of the SLM to selectively modulate the number of dispersed beams incident thereon by diffracting at least one beam of the number of dispersed beams by destructive interference between light reflected from reflective top surface of a number of plurality of active ribbons and laterally adjacent portions of the reflective surface of the substrate, and reflecting a remainder of the number of dispersed beams as 0th-order light;
• transmitting the 0th-order light of the reflected dispersed beams through the dispersive element to recombine the reflected dispersed beams to form a reflected beam;
• and
• directing the reflected beam to an optical output of the spectral shaping system.

A spectral shaping system comprising:

• a broadband light source to generate a light including an input beam having a plurality of wavelengths;
• a dispersive element to receive and disperse the input beam into a number of dispersed beams separated by wavelength, the dispersive element comprising a prism;
• a spatial light modulator (SLM) comprising a linear array of a plurality of active ribbons suspended over a reflective surface of a substrate;
• and
• a collimating element to receive and direct the number of dispersed beams onto a spatial light modulator (SLM),
• wherein the SLM is operable to selectively modulate the number of dispersed beams incident thereon by diffracting at least one beam of the number of dispersed beams by destructive interference between light reflected from reflective top surface of a number of plurality of active ribbons and laterally adjacent portions of the reflective surface of the substrate, and reflecting a remainder of the number of dispersed beams as 0th-order light, and
• wherein the collimating element is further operable to pass the 0th-order light reflected by the SLM to the dispersive element at an acute angle of incidence relative to a long axis of the linear array of the SLM, and the dispersive element is further operable to recombine the reflected dispersed beams to form a reflected beam directed toward an optical output of the spectral shaping system.