Electronic imaging system using organic laser array illuminating an area light valve

• US 6,950,454 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2003
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IMAX Theatres International Limited (IMAX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Kurtz, Andrew F., Kahen, Keith B., Spoonhower, John P., Kruschwitz, Brian E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, Minsun Oh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phillip
• Application Number:
  US10/395,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20040190573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 372/39, 372/92, 372 96- 99, 359619-623, 257/40
• US Class Current: 372/92
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3129 scanning a light beam on the display screen scanning a light beam on a screen in displays other than projection devices G09G3/02; scanning systems in general G02B26/10; projectors using laser light sources in general H04N9/3161
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3152 for shaping the light beam beam shaping per se G02B27/09
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3155 for controlling the light source light source control per se H05B35/00 – H05B47/00; control of an illumination source for displays in general G09G3/3406
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3161 using laser light sources using laser beams scanning the display screen H04N9/3129

Abstract

An electronic imaging system for providing a viewable color image from an image data stream, including: a plurality of different colored laser light sources arranged in an at least one array with each such colored laser light source including a vertical cavity design; at least one area light valve for receiving the laser light and producing the viewable color image from the image data stream; and a projection lens for projecting the viewable color image onto a target plane.

Claims

1. An electronic imaging system for providing a viewable color image from an image data stream, comprising:

a) a plurality of different colored laser light sources arranged in an at least one array with each laser light source including a vertical cavity design having;

i) a first dielectric stack for receiving and transmitting incoherent pump beam light and being reflective to laser light over a predetermined range of wavelengths;

ii) an organic active region, including one or more periodic gain regions and organic spacer layers disposed on either side of the periodic gain regions, for receiving transmitted incoherent pump beam light from the first dielectric stack and emitting the laser light, and wherein the one or more periodic gain regions are aligned with antinodes of a standing wave electromagnetic field;

iii) a second dielectric stack for reflecting transmitted incoherent pump beam light and laser light from the organic active region back into the organic active region, wherein a combination of the first and the second dielectric stacks and the organic active region produces the laser light; and

b) at least one area light valve for receiving the laser light and producing the viewable color image from the image data stream; and

a projection lens for projecting the viewable color image onto a target plane.

2. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

d) a lens for imaging the at least one array onto the at least one area light valve.

3. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of different colored laser light sources are modulated to produce a uniform image on the target plane.

4. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 1, wherein three arrays of colored laser light sources are matched, according to color, to three area light valves, respectively.

5. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 4, wherein the three arrays of colored laser light sources include:

a) a red array of laser light sources;

b) a green array of laser light sources; and

c) a blue array of laser light sources.

6. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 5, wherein the three arrays of colored laser light sources further include:

a) a red array of laser light sources illuminating a red area light valve;

b) a green array of laser light sources illuminating a green area light valve; and

c) a blue array of laser light sources illuminating a blue area light valve.

7. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 1, wherein three arrays of colored laser light sources are matched to a single area light valve.

8. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 7, wherein the three arrays of colored laser light sources include:

a) a red array of laser light sources;

b) a green array of laser light sources; and

c) a blue array of laser light sources.

9. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 8, wherein each of the at least three arrays of colored laser light sources are sequentially pumped within a frame.

10. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 9, wherein each of the at least three arrays of colored laser light sources are synchronized to the single area light valve during the sequential pumping of the at least three arrays of colored laser light sources.

11. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 1, wherein a single array of colored laser light sources includes:

a) plurality of red laser light sources;

b) plurality of green laser light sources; and

c) plurality of blue laser light sources.

12. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one area light valve is illuminated by the single array of colored laser light sources.

13. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of red laser light sources, the plurality of green laser light sources, and the plurality of blue laser light sources are sequentially pumped within a frame.

14. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of red laser light sources, the plurality of green laser light sources, and the plurality of blue laser light sources are synchronized, respectively, to the single area light valve during the pumping sequence.

15. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

d) at least one light integrator for producing a uniform illumination on the at least one area light valve.

16. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one light integrator includes a fly'"'"'s eye integrator.

17. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one light integrator includes an integrating bar.

18. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one area light valve includes a liquid crystal panel.

19. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 18, wherein the liquid crystal panel is a reflective liquid crystal on silicon light valve.

20. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one area light valve includes a micromirror array.

21. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 1, wherein each laser light source produces laser light with a laser spectrum having an individual wavelength, λ

_i and an individual spectral width Δ

λ

_i.

22. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 21, wherein a combination of the plurality of different colored laser light sources produces at least one spectral band having a total spectral width Δ

λ

_tot.

23. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 21, wherein the at least one spectral band includes overlapping laser spectra.

24. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 22, wherein the total spectral width Δ

λ

_tot is greater than 1 nanometer.

25. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 1 wherein each laser light source produces laser light with a beam quality factor M² the at least one array comprises N_LE colored laser light sources, wherein the product of M² and N_LE is greater than 1000.

26. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 18, wherein the at least one array of colored laser light sources is provided directly on a front face of the integrating bar.

27. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic imaging system is incorporated into a display system, further comprising

d) a viewing screen for receiving the laser light and having a diffusing element.

28. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 27 wherein the viewing screen has an optical surface roughness σ

_z and the plurality of different colored light sources has a total spectral width σ

_k such that C_T=[1+(2σ

_kσ

_z)²]<sup>−

1/4</sup> is less than 0.5.

29. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic imaging system is incorporated into a printing system, further comprising

d) a photosensitive medium located at the target plane for receiving the laser light and recording data.

30. A modulation optical system for providing a color image from an image data stream, comprising:

a) a plurality of different colored laser light sources arranged in an at least one array with each laser light source including a vertical cavity design having;

i) a first dielectric stack for receiving and transmitting pump beam light and being reflective to laser light over a predetermined range of wavelengths;

ii) an organic active region, including one or more periodic gain regions and organic spacer layers disposed on either side of the periodic gain regions, for receiving transmitted pump beam light from the first dielectric stack and emitting the laser light, and wherein the one or more periodic gain layers are aligned with antinodes of a standing wave electromagnetic field;

iii) a second dielectric stack for reflecting transmitted pump beam light and laser light from the organic active region back into the organic active region, wherein a combination of the first and the second dielectric stacks and the organic active region produces the laser light; and

b) at least one area light valve for receiving the laser light and producing the color image from the image data stream; and

wherein at least a portion of the plurality of different colored light sources arranged in a given array are nominally incoherent with another portion of the different colored light sources within the given array.

31. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 30, further comprising:

c) a lens for imaging the at least one array onto the at least one area light valve.

32. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 30, wherein the plurality of different colored laser light sources are modulated to produce a uniform image on the at least one area light valve.

33. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 30, wherein three arrays of colored laser light sources are matched, according to color, to three area light valves, respectively.

34. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 33, wherein the three arrays of colored laser light sources include:

a) a red array of laser light sources;

b) a green array of laser light sources; and

c) a blue array of laser light sources.

35. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 34, wherein the three arrays of colored laser light sources further include:

a) a red array of laser light sources illuminating a red area light valve;

b) a green array of laser light sources illuminating a green area light valve; and

c) a blue array of laser light sources illuminating a blue area light valve.

36. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 30, wherein three arrays of colored laser light sources are matched to a single area light valve.

37. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 36, wherein the three arrays of colored laser light sources include:

a) a red array of laser light sources;

b) a green array of laser light sources; and

c) a blue array of laser light sources.

38. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 37, wherein each of the at least three arrays of colored laser light sources are sequentially pumped within a frame.

39. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 38, wherein each of the at least three arrays of colored laser light sources are synchronized to the single area light valve during the sequential pumping of the at least three arrays of colored laser light sources.

40. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 30, wherein a single array of colored laser light sources includes:

a plurality of red laser light sources;

a plurality of green laser light sources; and

a plurality of blue laser light sources.

41. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 40, wherein the at least one area light valve is illuminated by the single array of colored laser light sources.

42. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 40, wherein the plurality of red laser light sources, the plurality of green laser light sources, and the plurality of blue laser light sources are sequentially pumped within a frame.

43. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 42, wherein each of the plurality of red laser light sources, the plurality of green laser light sources, and the plurality of blue laser light sources are synchronized, respectively, to the single area light valve during the pumping sequence.

44. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 30, further comprising:

c) at least one light integrator for producing a uniform illumination on the at least one area light valve.

45. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 44, wherein the at least one light integrator includes a fly'"'"'s eye integrator.

46. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 44, wherein the at least one light integrator includes an integrating bar.

47. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 30, wherein the at least one area light valve includes a liquid crystal panel.

48. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 47, wherein the liquid crystal panel is a reflective liquid crystal on silicon light valve.

49. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 30, wherein the at least one area light valve includes a micromirror array.

50. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 30, wherein each laser light source produces laser light with a laser spectra having an individual wavelength, λ

_i and an individual spectral width Δ

λ

_i.

51. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 50, wherein a combination of the plurality of different colored laser light sources produces at least one spectral band having a total spectral width Δ

λ

_tot.

52. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 50, wherein the at least one spectral band includes overlapping laser spectra.

53. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 51, wherein the total spectral width Δ

λ

_tot is greater than 1 nanometer.

54. The electronic imaging system claimed in claim 30 wherein each laser light source produces laser light with a beam quality factor M² and the at least one array comprises N_LE colored laser light sources, wherein the product of M² and N_LE is greater than 1000.

55. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 46, wherein the at least one array of colored laser light sources is provided directly an a front face of the integrating bar.

56. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 30, wherein the modulation optical system is incorporated into a display system further comprising:

c) a viewing screen for receiving colored laser light and having a diffusing element; and

d) a projection lens for projecting the color image onto the viewing screen in order to form a viewable color image.

57. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 56 wherein the viewing screen has an optical surface roughness σ

_z and the plurality of different colored light sources has a total spectral width σ

_k such that C_T=[1+(2σ

_kσ

_z)²]<sup>−

1/4</sup> is less than 0.5.

58. The modulation optical system claimed in claim 30, wherein the modulation optical system is incorporated into a printing system, further comprising

c) a photosensitive medium for receiving laser light and recording data.

59. An organic vertical cavity surface emitting laser array including a plurality of mutually incoherent lasing elements, and each organic vertical cavity surface emitting laser further comprising:

i) a first dielectric stack for receiving and transmitting incoherent pump beam light from an array of light emitting diodes, and being reflective to laser light over a predetermined range of wavelengths;

ii) an organic active region, including one or more periodic gain regions and organic spacer layers disposed on either side of the periodic gain regions, for receiving transmitted incoherent pump beam light from the first dielectric stack and emitting the laser light, and wherein the one or more periodic gain layers are aligned with antinodes of a standing wave electromagnetic field; and

iii) a second dielectric stack for reflecting the transmitted incoherent pump beam light and laser light from the organic active region back into the organic active region, wherein the laser light is emitted from a plurality of different colored laser light sources arranged in at least one array, and a combination of the first and the second dielectric stacks and the organic active region produces the laser light.

60. The vertical cavity surface emitting laser claimed in claim 59, wherein the plurality of different colored laser light sources are modulated to produce a uniform image.

61. A method for producing colored laser light within an optical system, comprising the steps of:

a) providing pump beam light from at least two light emitting diode;

b) receiving and transmitting the pump beam light through a first dielectric stack;

c) receiving and partially absorbing the transmitted pump beam light in an organic active region that emits laser light;

d) reflecting the unabsorbed pump beam light from a second dielectric stack into the organic active region, wherein the unabsorbed pump beam light is partially absorbed and the organic active region produces the colored laser light;

e) reflecting the colored laser light between the first dielectric stack and the second dielectric stack to provide a laser resonance.

63. The method claimed in claim 61, wherein there is colored laser light that is produced by the pump beam light from one light emitting diode which is incoherent from the colored laser light produced by the pump beam light from a second light emitting diode.

62. A method for forming a color image from an image data stream, comprising the steps of:

a) providing the image data stream to an electronic imaging system;

b) generating colored laser light from the plurality of different colored laser light sources in the electronic imaging system, arranged in an at least one array, with each such color laser light source including a vertical cavity design having a plurality of mutually incoherent laser emitters, and further comprising;

i) a first dielectric stack for receiving and transmitting pump beam light and being reflective to the colored laser light over a predetermined range of wavelengths;

ii) an organic active region, including one or more periodic gain regions and organic spacer layers disposed on either side of the periodic gain regions, for receiving transmitted pump beam light from the first dielectric stack and emitting the colored laser light, and wherein the one or more periodic gain layers are aligned with antinodes of a standing wave electromagnetic field;

iii) a second dielectric stack for reflecting the transmitted pump beam light and the colored laser light from the organic active region back into the organic active region, wherein a combination of the first and second dielectric stacks and the organic active region produces the colored laser light;

c) receiving the colored laser light upon the at least one area light valve in the electronic imaging system; and

d) forming the color image from the electronic imaging system upon a viewing screen.

64. An addressable organic vertical cavity surface emitting laser array consisting of a series of mutually incoherent lasing elements, comprising:

i) a first dielectric stack which is reflective to laser light over a predetermined range of wavelengths;

ii) an organic active region for emitting said laser light;

iii) a second dielectric stack for reflecting said laser light from said organic active region back into said organic active region, wherein a combination of said first and said second dielectric stacks and said organic active region produces said laser light;

iv) an addressing means which corresponds to at least an individual lasing element; and

wherein said organic active region includes one or more periodic gain region(s) and organic spacer layers disposed on either side of the periodic gain region(s) and arranged so that the periodic gain region(s) is aligned with the antinodes of the device'"'"'s standing wave electromagnetic field.