High-precision laser beam shaping using binary-amplitude DLP spatial light modulators

Michael F. Becker; Jinyang Liang; Rudolph N. Kohn Jr.; Daniel J. Heinzen

doi:10.1117/12.839468

10 February 2010 High-precision laser beam shaping using binary-amplitude DLP spatial light modulators

Michael F. Becker, Jinyang Liang, Rudolph N. Kohn Jr., Daniel J. Heinzen

Proceedings Volume 7596, Emerging Digital Micromirror Device Based Systems and Applications II; 75960A (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.839468
Event: SPIE MOEMS-MEMS, 2010, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Laser beams with precisely controlled intensity profiles are essential for many areas of optics and optical physics. We create such beams from real-world lasers: quasi-Gaussian beams obtained directly from a laser and beam-expanding telescope without spatial filtering. Our application is to form optical standing-wave lattices for Bose-Einstein condensates in quantum emulators. This requires controlled amplitude and flat phase, and that the beam be free of temporal modulation from either pixel dithering or refresh cycles. We describe the development of the pattern design algorithms and demonstrate the performance of a high precision beam shaper to make flattop beams and other spatial profiles with similarly low spatial frequency content. The digital micromirror device (DMD) was imaged through a telescope containing a pinhole low-pass filter. An error diffusion algorithm was used to design the initial DMD pixel pattern based on the input beam profile. This pattern was iteratively refined based on output image measurements. We demonstrate forming a variety of beam profiles including flattop beams and beams with 1-D linear intensity variation, both with square and circular cross-sections. Produced beams had less than 0.25% root-mean-square (RMS) error with respect to the target profile and nearly flat phase.

Citation Download Citation

Michael F. Becker, Jinyang Liang, Rudolph N. Kohn Jr., and Daniel J. Heinzen "High-precision laser beam shaping using binary-amplitude DLP spatial light modulators", Proc. SPIE 7596, Emerging Digital Micromirror Device Based Systems and Applications II, 75960A (10 February 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.839468

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available