Method and device for modulating a light beam and having an improved gamma response
First Claim
1. A modulator for modulating an incident light beam comprising:
- a. a plurality of elongated, spaced-apart members formed parallel to one another and substantially in a first plane, wherein alternating members are in a first portion and remaining members are in a second portion;
b. a gamma controller for displacing the plurality of elongated spaced-apart members to a bias plane, wherein the bias plane is parallel to the first plane; and
c. a displacement controller for displacing the first portion of the spaced-apart members to the bias plane to reflect the incident light beam and to a second plane parallel to the bias plane to diffract the incident light beam.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus having an improved, tunable gamma response is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a light modulator having a plurality of spaced-apart elements, composed of alternating active elements and passive elements lying in a single plane; a gamma controller; and a displacement controller. The gamma controller applies a gamma voltage to a substrate, displacing the plurality of spaced-apart elements to a bias plane, closer to the substrate. In a reflection mode, the plurality of spaced-apart elements function as a spectral mirror to an impinging light beam. In a diffraction mode, the displacement controller applies a displacement voltage to the active elements. The active elements are now moved to a second plane parallel to the bias plane so that the light beam impinging on the light modulator will be diffracted. The illumination intensity of a detected light signal is proportional to the displacement voltage raised to a power of between approximately 1.75 and 3.0, the gamma response.
661 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A modulator for modulating an incident light beam comprising:
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a. a plurality of elongated, spaced-apart members formed parallel to one another and substantially in a first plane, wherein alternating members are in a first portion and remaining members are in a second portion;
b. a gamma controller for displacing the plurality of elongated spaced-apart members to a bias plane, wherein the bias plane is parallel to the first plane; and
c. a displacement controller for displacing the first portion of the spaced-apart members to the bias plane to reflect the incident light beam and to a second plane parallel to the bias plane to diffract the incident light beam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of modulating an incident light beam, the method comprising:
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a. biasing a plurality of elongated, spaced-apart members formed parallel to one another substantially in a first plane, to be substantially in a bias plane; and
b. displacing a first portion of the spaced-apart members which alternates with a second portion of the space-apart members, to the bias plane to reflect the incident light beam and to a second plane to diffract the incident light beam. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A modulator for modulating an incident light beam comprising:
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a. means for selectively reflecting and diffracting the incident light beam in response to an input signal having a first transfer relationship as a function of the input signal; and
b. means for biasing the modulator, such that when the modulator is biased it has a second transfer relationship. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification