Method and apparatus for intracavity pixelated lasing projection

A projection imaging system including a resonator cavity, wherein said resonator cavity is defined, at one end by a dichroic mirror and at an end opposite said dichroic mirror, by an output coupling mirror, said projection imaging system comprising:

• a pump source for emitting pump energy;
• a gain medium located within said cavity between said dichroic mirror and said output coupling mirror;
• wherein when said pump source emits said pump energy, said pump energy is transmitted through said dichroic mirror and excites said gain medium to emit optical energy, and wherein said emitted optical energy oscillates within said resonator cavity;
• and
• a pixelated loss element located within said cavity between said gain medium and said output coupling mirror and further located within an oscillation path of the optical energy;
• wherein when in an on-state of an image mode, first regions of said pixelated loss element are selectively made substantially transparent to allow said oscillating optical energy to travel through said first regions of said loss element, and wherein when in an off-state of said image mode, second regions of said pixelated loss element are made reflective to scatter said oscillating optical energy encountering said second regions of said loss element;
• wherein a portion of said oscillating optical energy that travelled through said first regions of said pixelated loss element is transmitted by said output coupling mirror to create a projected image.

A full red-green-blue projection imaging system comprising:

• a laser-based pump source for emitting an initial pump energy;
• means for producing a second harmonic frequency pump energy from said emitted initial pump energy;
• means for producing a third harmonic frequency pump energy from said initial pump energy and said second harmonic frequency pump energy;
• a first image source path which includes a first dichroic mirror, a first beam expander and a first pixelated PDLC device, wherein said first dichroic mirror reflects said second harmonic frequency pump energy to said first beam expander and wherein said first pixelated PDLC device includes a red laser dye which when excited by an expanded second harmonic frequency pump energy, and in cooperation with drive electronics, emits a first optical energy;
• a second image source path which includes a beam splitter, a second beam expander and a second pixelated PDLC device, wherein said beam splitter reflects a portion of said third harmonic frequency pump energy to said second beam expander and wherein said second pixelated PDLC device includes a green laser dye which when excited by an expanded portion of said third harmonic frequency pump energy, and in cooperation with said drive electronics, emits a second optical energy;
• a third image source path which includes a first directional mirror, a third beam expander, and a third pixelated PDLC device, wherein said first directional mirror reflects a transmitted portion of said third harmonic pump energy from said beam splitter to said third beam expander and wherein said third pixelated PDLC device includes a blue laser dye which when excited by an expanded portion of said third harmonic frequency pump energy, and in cooperation with said drive electronics, emits a third optical energy;
• a second directional mirror for reflecting said third optical energy;
• a second dichroic mirror for receiving said reflected third optical energy and transmitting said reflected third and reflecting said second optical energies;
• a third dichroic mirror for receiving said transmitted third and said reflected second optical energies and for transmitting the received third and second optical energies and the first optical energy;
• and
• projection optics for receiving said first, said second and said third optical energies and for processing said optical energies to produce a full-color image.

An imaging system comprising:

• a laser cavity;
• a pump source for emitting pump energy;
• a gain medium disposed within said laser cavity;
• wherein when said pump source emits said pump energy, said pump energy excites said gain medium to emit optical energy;
• and
• a spatially patterned loss element disposed within said laser cavity, and further disposed within an output path of said optical energy;
• wherein when in an image mode, said spatially patterned loss element is controlled to generate an image comprised of lasing pixels.