Abstract

A new optically addressed spatial light modulator (OASLM) with memorized gray-scale capability has been developed, which has potential application in analog optical computing. This OASLM exploits the occurrence of a gray-scale effect in the memory state of surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal (SSFLC) cells when the SSFLC is oriented by ultra-thin polyimide Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films.¹⁾ In the case of LB orientation films, the gray-scale can be attributed to the topography of the substrate ITO films which produces spatial fluctuation in the spontaneous polarization (multidomain).²⁾ The OASLM has many pixels, each corresponding to the smallest unit of the multidomain gray-scale. Because it is possible to add switching devices such as thin film transistors to the pixels, the OASLM has the potential of particularly designed functions.³⁾

© 1991 Optical Society of America