Abstract

An ideal array illuminator would provide equal amounts of light power to all elements of an array of gates or smart pixels. Existing array illuminators (abbreviated: AIL) achieve a homogeneity of 5 to 10%. That may seem to be good enough, if the signals are binary. However, it is desirable to achieve the best possible homogeneity, since there might be other causes for inhomogeneous behavior of the array system. Having a good AIL relieves the burden of tolerances for the other components of the overall system. Furthermore, when the signals are analog, as in some neural systems, the homogeneity of the power supply becomes even more important.

© 1991 Optical Society of America