Characteristics Of The Deformable Mirror Device For Optical Information Processing

A new two-dimensional, fast, analog, electrically addressable, silicon-based membrane spatial light modulator (SLM) has been developed for optical information processing applications. This SLM, the deformable mirror device (DMD), consists of a 128x128 array of deformable mirror elements addressed by an underlying array of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistors. Coherent light reflected from the mirror elements is phase modulated producing an optical Fourier transform of an analog signal input to the device. The DMD architecture and operating parameters related to this application are presented. A model is developed that describes the optical Fourier transform properties of the DMD. The calculated peak first-order diffraction efficiency of 8.2% is in good agreement with the value of 8.4% obtained from experimental optical Fourier transform measurements.