Liquid crystal light valve with memory

Claim 1

A liquid crystal light valve capable of storing the pattern of an input light image comprising: a layer of liquid crystal; a dielectric mirror disposed on one side of said liquid crystal layer for reflecting modulated readout light; a photosensor layer disposed adjacent said dielectric mirror and opposite said liquid crystal layer, said photosensor layer comprising a deposited memory semiconductor material, said material having a first stable state of relatively high electrical resistance and a second stable state of relatively low electrical resistance, said material capable of being switched from one of said states to the other by the application of a threshold stimulus, said semiconductor layer serving to store the pattern of a light input impinging thereon by being selectively switched to said state of low resistance in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of said light input, said regions of low resistance in turn causing said liquid crystal layer to be locally polarized in a corresponding pattern thereby changing the optical properties of said liquid crystal layer in a pattern corresponding to said input image; at least two transparent electrodes, one disposed on the side of said photosensor opposite said liquid crystal layer and one on the side of said liquid crystal layer opposite said photosensor; and a voltage source for maintaining a bias voltage across said transparent electrodes.

Claim 6

A method of accepting, storing, and converting a light input into a corresponding output with light from another source comprising: providing a light input; causing said light input to impinge upon a layer of deposited semiconductor material, said material having a first stable state of relatively high electrical resistance and a second stable state of relatively low electrical resistance and being capable of being switched between said states by the application of a threshold stimulus, said light input serving to switch areas of said semiconductor material in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of said light input thereby storing the pattern of said light input; applying a bias voltage across said semiconductor layer and a liquid crystal layer so that a current will be conducted by those areas of said semiconductor material which are in the low resistance state and thereby cause a change in the optical properties of said liquid crystal layer at areas of said liquid crystal layer corresponding to said switched areas of said semiconductor material.

Claim 7

A method of accepting, storing, and converting a light input into a corresponding output with light from another source comprising: providing a light input; causing said light input to impinge upon a layer of deposited semiconductor material, said material having a first stable state of relatively high electrical resistance and a second stable state of relatively low electrical resistance and being capable of being switched between said states by the application of a threshold stimulus, said light input serving to switch areas of said semiconductor material in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of said light input thereby storing the pattern of said light input; applying a bias voltage across said semiconductor layer and a liquid crystal layer so that a current will be conducted by those areas of said semiconductor material which are in the low resistance state and thereby cause a change in the optical properties of said liquid crystal layer at areas of said liquid crystal layer corresponding to said switched areas of said semiconductor material.