Abstract

Electronically addressed spatial light modulators (SLMs) are generally pixelated structures. Each pixel consists of a phase-or amplitude-modulating active area within an inactive (or dead) zone. Computer simulations of correlation have been made for optical correlators having an input SLM with gray level input and a filter SLM with either a classical matched filter, a phase-only filter, or a binary phase-only filter written on it. The correlation peak, energy throughput, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) have been studied as a function of dead zone area in both the input and filter SLMs. Input plane sampling is carefully chosen to give accurate discrete Fourier transform results. Calculations using multiple point/pixel sampling are compared with those for single point/pixel sampling. In general, it is found that as dead zone area increases, SNR changes at most by 10%, whereas peak intensity and energy throughput decrease substantially.

© 1989 Optical Society of America