Patent ID: 9400486
Filing Date: 2016-07-26
CPC Classification: G02F,G03H

Claim Text:
1. A spatial light modulator comprising a plurality of pixels, the spatial light modulator further comprising: a variable refractive index layer having a refractive index which is variable in each of the plurality of pixels based on one of an optical signal and an electrical signal; a metal layer that is disposed on an upper surface of the variable refractive index layer, wherein light incident on the metal layer causes the generation of a surface plasmon at an interface between the variable refractive index layer and the metal layer; and a high refractive index layer that is disposed on the metal layer, wherein a refractive index of the high refractive index layer is higher than a maximum refractive index of the variable refractive index layer, wherein the surface plasmon moves along the interface between the variable refractive index layer and the metal layer and is reflected from the variable refractive index layer to modulate a phase of light incident on the variable refractive index layer, and a moving distance of the surface plasmon, in a horizontal direction along the interface between the variable refractive index layer and the metal layer, is smaller than a pitch of two adjacent pixels of the spatial light modulator, thereby increasing a spatial resolution of the spatial light modulator.