Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs) - SLM-128 and SLM-6400 pages

D ATA

S H E E T

Spatial Light Modulators
Key Features and Benefits
•t Solid-state for rapid, vibrationless operation
•t Single-mask or dual-mask liquid-crystal
designs for phase, amplitude, or simultaneous
phase/amplitude control
•t VIS or NIR wavelength ranges
•t Smaller SLM-128 enclosure for easier t
integration
•t USB interface with free Software Developer’s
Kit (SDK) for efficient low-power operation
and software integration

SLM-128 and
SLM-640
Simultaneous phase and
amplitude modulation of
your VIS or NIR beam
with no moving parts

These Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs) are based on proven
industry-leading designs, and offer both single-mask and dualmask configurations for phase, amplitude, or for simultaneous
phase/amplitude pulse shaping.
Now part of PerkinElmer, Cambridge Research & Instrumentation,
Inc. (CRi) collaborated with the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) on the initial development of modern liquid
crystal (LC) SLMs, and is the exclusive worldwide licensee of
MIT’s technology for bonded optical masks for simultaneous
phase and amplitude control in a single device.

Liquid Crystal Optical Modulation
Our SLM optics use nematic LC to alter the phase or the amplitude of light. The LC masks
provide an electrically variable index of refraction for light that is polarized along the crystal’s
“extraordinary” axis. The refractive index of light that is polarized along the “ordinary” axis
(also called the orthogonal axis), is not changed.
Depending on the orientation of the extraordinary axis of the LC mask and the placement
of linear polarizers in front and/or behind the LC mask, a single-mask SLM can modulate a
beam’s phase or amplitude.
The dual-mask models use a patented arrangement where two LC masks are bonded
together in precise registration and proximity. The masks are oriented orthogonal to one
another and 45 degrees to the polarization of incident light. This arrangement enables the
independent adjustment of both phase and amplitude. Removing the polarizers and driving
both masks with the same patterns so the differential is zero allows the SLM to be used as a
pure phase modulator for arbitrarily polarized light.