The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 16, 2002
Filed:
Jan. 21, 2000
Craig Tombling, Oxfordshire, GB;
Michael Geraint Robinson, Boulder, CO (US);
Nicholas Mayhew, Oxford, GB;
Tomoaki Kuratate, Matsudo, JP;
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A diffractive spatial light modulator comprises first and second substrates ( ) between which an optical path is defined comprising, in order, first ( ), second ( ), and third ( ) half wave retarders. The second retarder ( ) has a fixed optic axis ( ) whereas the first and third retarders have switchable optic axes ( ). The fixed optic axis ( ) is oriented outside the switching ranges of the switchable optic axes ( ). The modulator is pixellated and each pixel comprises a switchable phase-only diffraction grating. Each pixel is switchable between a first mode in which incident light is output in the zeroth order diffraction lobe and a second mode in which incident light is deflected into higher order diffraction lobes. The spatial light modulator may be used in high brightness projection displays.