Patent ID: 11933962
Assignee: SILICON LIGHT MACHINES CORPORATION
Field: Optics (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  B  Y | IPC G

Claim 9:
10. A manufacturing method comprising:
using a controller:
generating a light from a laser;
illuminating a spatial light modulator (SLM) comprising a multi-pixel, linear array of MEMS based diffractors, each MEMS based diffractor comprising an electrostatically deflectable member coupled to a first light reflective surface;
modulating light incident on the SLM by deflecting the electrostatically deflectable members of a number of the MEMS based diffractors by applying an electrostatic force generated by a driver coupled thereto, bringing light reflected from the first light reflective surface into interference with light reflected from a second light reflective surface in the SLM;
focusing modulated light from the SLM into a linear swath of modulated light on a surface of a workpiece using imaging optics, the linear swath comprising light from multiple pixels of the SLM; and
controlling the laser, SLM, and imaging optics to scan the linear swath of modulated light across the surface of the workpiece,

wherein the controller is calibrated using a test pattern prior to focusing modulated light on the surface of the workpiece, and is further operable to provide a precise dosage of light from each pixel onto the surface of the workpiece using analog gray-scale control of an intensity of modulated light reflected from each MEMS based diffractor by controlling the electrostatic force generated by the driver coupled thereto to compensate for non-uniformities in light illuminating the SLM or in modulated light transmitted therefrom through the imaging optics.