Optical methods for reducing point spread function in phase light modulator applications
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsAlexander Lyubarsky, Terry A. Bartlett, Kristofer Oberascher
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Abstract
Optical systems and methods are disclosed. An example system includes a laser array configured to produce laser light; a dual-sided collimator array including first cylindrical portions forming a fast-axis collimator (FAC) and second cylindrical portions forming a slow-axis collimator (SAC), the second cylindrical portions being approximately perpendicular to the first cylindrical portions, the dual-sided collimator array configured to produce shaped light based on the laser light; and an optical phase modulator (OPM) configured to modulate the shaped light to produce modulated light that forms a hologram in a far field.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a laser array configured to produce laser light;
- a dual-sided collimator array including first cylindrical portions forming a fast-axis collimator (FAC) and second cylindrical portions forming a slow-axis collimator (SAC), the second cylindrical portions being approximately perpendicular to the first cylindrical portions, the dual-sided collimator array configured to produce shaped light based on the laser light;
- and
- an optical phase modulator (OPM) configured to modulate the shaped light to produce modulated light that forms a hologram in a far field.
A system comprising:
- at least one laser configured to produce laser light;
- an integrator rod configured to homogenize the laser light and produce shaped light;
- a variable-size aperture coupled to the integrator rod, wherein the variable-size aperture is adjustable between a plurality of positions from a fully closed position to a fully open position to control an amount of the shaped light exiting the integrator rod;
- and
- an optical phase modulator (OPM) configured to modulate the shaped light to produce modulated light,
- wherein the variable-size aperture is configured to control a size of a point spread function of the modulated light in a far field.
A system comprising:
- a laser array including a plurality of columns of lasers, wherein the plurality of columns are configured to be time-sequentially illuminated to produce laser light;
- an optical phase modulator (OPM);
- and
- a cylindrical lens configured to direct laser light from each column of lasers toward the OPM to impinge on a surface of the OPM at a respective illumination angle, such that laser light from each column of lasers corresponds to a different illumination angle;
- wherein the OPM is configured to produce modulated light and to time-sequentially produce a plurality of holograms in a far field, each hologram of the plurality of holograms corresponding to a respective column of lasers to produce a respective sub-frame of a plurality of sub-frames.
A system comprising:
- a plurality of lasers that are individually activatable;
- a plurality of waveguides, a respective one coupled to a respective one of the plurality of lasers, each waveguide of the plurality of waveguides configured to shape laser light output by the corresponding laser of the plurality of lasers to generate shaped light;
- and
- an optical phase modulator (OPM) configured to modulate the shaped light to produce modulated light that forms a hologram in a far field;
- wherein the system is configured to activate a first selectable number of the plurality of lasers simultaneously to produce a first luminescence level and a first point spread function size in the far field and activate a second selectable number of the plurality of lasers simultaneously to produce a second luminescence level and a second point spread function size in the far field, the second selectable number being greater than the first selectable number and the size of the second point spread function being greater than the size of the first point spread function.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.