Full complex modulation using two one-parameter spatial light modulators

Claim 1

A method for full complex modulation of light comprising the following: a) arranging first and second reflective spatial light modulators to produce the same virtual image location as experienced by a lightwave directed onto said first and second modulators; b) directing a lightwave simultaneously onto said first and second spatial light modulators; c) simultaneously modulating said lightwave by said first and second spatial light modulators; d) directing said simultaneously modulated lightwave from said first and second spatial light modulators in optical phase choherence to the same receiving location, whereby, said modulated lightwave from said first spatial light modulator and said modulated lightwave from said second spatial light modulator are additively and coherently optically superimposed at the same location, said first and second spatial light modulators modulating said lightwave independently for effecting full complex modulation of said lightwave.

Claim 2

A method for full complex modulation of light comprising the following: a) arranging first and second reflective spatial light modulators to produce the same virtual image location as experienced by a lightwave directed onto said first and second modulators; b) directing a lightwave simultaneously onto said first and second spatial light modulators; c) simultaneously modulating said lightwave by said first and second spatial light modulators; d) directing said simultaneously modulated lightwave from said first and second spatial light modulators in optical phase choherence to the same receiving location, whereby, said modulated lightwave from said first spatial light modulator and said modulated lightwave from said second spatial light modulator are additively and coherently optically superimposed at the same location, said first and second spatial light modulators modulating said lightwave independently for effecting full complex modulation of said lightwave.

Claim 3

A method for full complex modulation of light comprising the following: a) splitting an input lightwave into first and second mutually coherent lightwaves; b) reflectively modulating said first lightwave by use of a first control parameter; c) simultaneously reflectively modulating said second lightwave by use of a second control parameter; d) coherently and additively combining said first and second modulated lightwaves at an output location, said first and second control parameters being mutually independent for effecting full complex modulation of said input lightwave.

Claim 4

A method for full complex modulation of light comprising the following: a) splitting an input lightwave into first and second mutually coherent lightwaves; b) reflectively modulating said first lightwave by use of a first control parameter; c) simultaneously reflectively modulating said second lightwave by use of a second control parameter; d) coherently and additively combining said first and second modulated lightwaves at an output location, said first and second control parameters being mutually independent for effecting full complex modulation of said input lightwave.

Claim 8

The system for full complex modulation of light comprising the following: a) means for splitting an incoming lightwave into first and a second lightwaves; b) first reflective modulating means for modulating the first lightwave; c) second reflective modulating means for simultaneously modulating the second lightwave independently of the first lightwave; d) means for additively and coherently combining the first modulated lightwave and the second modulated lightwave, whereby the first modulated lightwave and the second modulated lightwave are optically superimposed and said incoming lightwave is full complex modulated.

Claim 9

The system for full complex modulation of light comprising the following: a) means for splitting an incoming lightwave into first and a second lightwaves; b) first reflective modulating means for modulating the first lightwave; c) second reflective modulating means for simultaneously modulating the second lightwave independently of the first lightwave; d) means for additively and coherently combining the first modulated lightwave and the second modulated lightwave, whereby the first modulated lightwave and the second modulated lightwave are optically superimposed and said incoming lightwave is full complex modulated.

Claim 17

The system for full complex modulation of light comprising the following: a) optics means for receiving a lightwave and for directing the lightwave to an output location; b) first and second reflective modulating means for modulating the lightwave, each said modulating means comprising individually addressable element means for producing a modulated portion of the lightwave, each said modulating means being located with respect to the other and with respect to said optic means so as to optically and coherently superimpose a modulated portion of the lightwave from said first modulating means upon the modulated portion of the lightwave from said second modulating means for effeCting full complex modulation of said lightwave.

Claim 18

The system for full complex modulation of light comprising the following: a) optics means for receiving a lightwave and for directing the lightwave to an output location; b) first and second reflective modulating means for modulating the lightwave, each said modulating means comprising individually addressable element means for producing a modulated portion of the lightwave, each said modulating means being located with respect to the other and with respect to said optic means so as to optically and coherently superimpose a modulated portion of the lightwave from said first modulating means upon the modulated portion of the lightwave from said second modulating means for effeCting full complex modulation of said lightwave.

Claim 20

The method of modulating a lightwave whereby an input lightwave is separately modulated by two reflective light modulators, each light modulator comprising individual modulating elements, the output of an individual modulating element from each light modulator being combined by system optics so as to constitute an output pixel of the modulated lightwave, comprising the steps: a) arranging the two reflective spatial light modulators and system optics in an architecture so that each output pixel is constituted by coherently optically superimposing the output of an individual modulating element from each light modulator; b) providing addressing means for each modulating element; c) determining the operating curve of each of the two individual modulating elements as related to their positions in the architecture; d) ascertaining the region of realizable complex filter values made accessible by the two operating curves for full complex modulation of Said lightwave; e) selecting the desired realizable composite effect for the output pixel; and f) applying the appropriate addressing control to each individual modulating element.

Claim 21

The method of modulating a lightwave whereby an input lightwave is separately modulated by two reflective light modulators, each light modulator comprising individual modulating elements, the output of an individual modulating element from each light modulator being combined by system optics so as to constitute an output pixel of the modulated lightwave, comprising the steps: a) arranging the two reflective spatial light modulators and system optics in an architecture so that each output pixel is constituted by coherently optically superimposing the output of an individual modulating element from each light modulator; b) providing addressing means for each modulating element; c) determining the operating curve of each of the two individual modulating elements as related to their positions in the architecture; d) ascertaining the region of realizable complex filter values made accessible by the two operating curves for full complex modulation of Said lightwave; e) selecting the desired realizable composite effect for the output pixel; and f) applying the appropriate addressing control to each individual modulating element.

Claim 24

A method for full complex modulation of light comprising the following: a) providing a beam splitting prism having a first, input face, second and third faces, and a fourth, output face, said first and second faces being mutually opposite, and said third and fourth faces being mutually opposite; b) arranging first and second reflective spatial light modulators adjacent said second and third prism faces, respectively, said modulators comprising means for producing the same virtual image location as experienced by a lightwave directed onto said first and second modulators; c) optically tuning and positioning said first and second reflective spatial light modulators relative to each other and to said beam splitting prism; d) directing said lightwave into said beam splitting prism through said first, input prism face and causing said lightwave to be directed out of said prism simultaneously through said second prism face and onto said first spatial light modulator, and through said third prism face onto said second spatial light modulator; e) simultaneously modulating said lightwave by said first and second spatial light modulators and reflecting said modulated lightwave, by said first and second spatial light modulators, back into said prism through said second and third prism faces and into said beam splitting prism, said first and second optically tuned spatial light modulators coherently and additively superimposing first and second reflected lightwaves, reflected from said first and second spatial light modulators, respectively, for producing a full complex modulated, coherent lightwave; f) simultaneously directing the full complex modulated lightwave reflected from said first and second spatial light modulators out of said prism through said fourth, output prism face and onto the same receiving location, whereby said modulated lightwave reflected from said first spatial light modulator and said modulated lightwave reflected from said second spatial light modulator are coherently and additively optically superimposed at the same location.

Claim 25

A method for full complex modulation of light comprising the following: a) providing a beam splitting prism having a first, input face, second and third faces, and a fourth, output face, said first and second faces being mutually opposite, and said third and fourth faces being mutually opposite; b) arranging first and second reflective spatial light modulators adjacent said second and third prism faces, respectively, said modulators comprising means for producing the same virtual image location as experienced by a lightwave directed onto said first and second modulators; c) optically tuning and positioning said first and second reflective spatial light modulators relative to each other and to said beam splitting prism; d) directing said lightwave into said beam splitting prism through said first, input prism face and causing said lightwave to be directed out of said prism simultaneously through said second prism face and onto said first spatial light modulator, and through said third prism face onto said second spatial light modulator; e) simultaneously modulating said lightwave by said first and second spatial light modulators and reflecting said modulated lightwave, by said first and second spatial light modulators, back into said prism through said second and third prism faces and into said beam splitting prism, said first and second optically tuned spatial light modulators coherently and additively superimposing first and second reflected lightwaves, reflected from said first and second spatial light modulators, respectively, for producing a full complex modulated, coherent lightwave; f) simultaneously directing the full complex modulated lightwave reflected from said first and second spatial light modulators out of said prism through said fourth, output prism face and onto the same receiving location, whereby said modulated lightwave reflected from said first spatial light modulator and said modulated lightwave reflected from said second spatial light modulator are coherently and additively optically superimposed at the same location.

Claim 27

A system for full complex modulation of light, comprising: a) a beam splitting prism having a first, input face, second and third faces, and a fourth, output face, said first and second faces being mutually opposite, and said second and third faces being mutually opposite; b) first and second reflective spatial light modulators positioned adjacent said second and third prism faces, respectively; c) said beam splitting prism comprising means for directing a lightwave received through said first, input face, out of said prism and onto said first and second modulators, said first spatial light modulator comprising means for spatially modulating said lightwave and reflecting it back into said prism through said second face of said prism, said second spatial light modulator comprising means for modulating said lightwave simultaneously with said first modulator and reflecting it back into said prism through said third prism face, said first and second modulators being optically tuned and positioned for coherent addition of the modulated lightwaves, said prism comprising means for additively and coherently combining and directing the modulated lightwaves reflected from said first and second spatial light modulators, through said fourth prism face and onto an output location external of said prism, said first and second modulators being controlled with independent control parameters for achieving full complex modulation of said lightwave.

Claim 28

A system for full complex modulation of light, comprising: a) a beam splitting prism having a first, input face, second and third faces, and a fourth, output face, said first and second faces being mutually opposite, and said second and third faces being mutually opposite; b) first and second reflective spatial light modulators positioned adjacent said second and third prism faces, respectively; c) said beam splitting prism comprising means for directing a lightwave received through said first, input face, out of said prism and onto said first and second modulators, said first spatial light modulator comprising means for spatially modulating said lightwave and reflecting it back into said prism through said second face of said prism, said second spatial light modulator comprising means for modulating said lightwave simultaneously with said first modulator and reflecting it back into said prism through said third prism face, said first and second modulators being optically tuned and positioned for coherent addition of the modulated lightwaves, said prism comprising means for additively and coherently combining and directing the modulated lightwaves reflected from said first and second spatial light modulators, through said fourth prism face and onto an output location external of said prism, said first and second modulators being controlled with independent control parameters for achieving full complex modulation of said lightwave.

Claim 30

The system for full complex modulation of light comprising: a) means for splitting an incoming lightwave into first and second lightwaves; b) first modulating means for modulating the first lightwave in accordance with a first operating parameter; c) second modulating means for modulating the second lightwave in accordance with a second operating parameter independent of the first parameter; d) means for additively and coherently combining the first lightwave and the second lightwave for optically superimposing the first and second lightwaves, the first and second operating parameters being mutually independent for effecting full complex modulation of the incoming lightwave.

Claim 31

The system for full complex modulation of light comprising: a) means for splitting an incoming lightwave into first and second lightwaves; b) first modulating means for modulating the first lightwave in accordance with a first operating parameter; c) second modulating means for modulating the second lightwave in accordance with a second operating parameter independent of the first parameter; d) means for additively and coherently combining the first lightwave and the second lightwave for optically superimposing the first and second lightwaves, the first and second operating parameters being mutually independent for effecting full complex modulation of the incoming lightwave.