1536 × 1536 Spatial Light Modulator – fast hologram control with high resolution
The 1536 × 1536 Spatial Light Modulator from Meadowlark Optics combines a high pixel count with very high hologram refresh rates and efficient phase modulation. With 1536 × 1536 pixels, a pixel pitch of 20 × 20 µm and a large active area of 30.7 × 30.7 mm the LCoS-SLM is particularly well-suited for applications where complex phase patterns need to be changed quickly and precisely.
The SLM was specifically developed for high speed. The large pixels are driven with high voltage and, thanks to their high capacitance, enable fast switching operations while simultaneously reducing fringing field effects and phase ripple. This improves efficiency, particularly in applications with large diffraction angles. For optimal and reproducible performance, the complete SLM head is thermally regulated.
Up to 600 holograms per second
A special feature of the 1536 × 1536 SLM is the fast Hologram-to-hologram control. At 1064 nm, the system achieves hologram switching rates of up to 600 fps at 89 % stationary diffraction efficiency. Hologram change rates up to 1000 fps were demonstrated with a correspondingly reduced efficiency.
This makes the SLM particularly suitable for applications where not only fast liquid crystal response times, but actually a rapid switching of complete complex phase masks is crucial.
On-board memory for fast phase masks
The control electronics receive 8-bit phase masks of 1536 × 1536 pixels via a fast 16-lane PCIe data link. In addition, up to 2045 custom phase masks stored directly on the controller hardware become.
These phase masks can then be accessed in any order. The built-in OverdrivePlus Technology calculates optimized transitions between the individual patterns. For stored holograms, the trigger latency is only 6 µs with a jitter of 3–9 µs.
High optical efficiency and phase stability
The SLM has a Fill Factor of 96 % and combines pure analog phase control with high reflectivity and high first-order efficiency. The thermal control ensures stable operating conditions even at high modulation speeds.
The combination of a high pixel count, large active area, and fast addressing makes the 1536 × 1536 SLM particularly interesting for dynamic holographic applications and demanding wavefront shaping.
For fast holographic applications
The 1536 × 1536 Spatial Light Modulator is particularly suited for applications where high spatial resolution and fast dynamic phase modulation are required simultaneously. These include, for example, holographic projection and photostimulation, laser beam shaping, adaptive optics, microscopy, optical manipulation, as well as research applications in photonics and quantum technology.
Through the combination of 1536 × 1536 pixels, up to 600 fps with high efficiency and fast on-board retrieval of stored holograms represents a high-performance solution for demanding dynamic wavefront control.
