Patent ID: 6549323
Filing Date: 2003-04-15
Classification: G02B,G02F

Abstract:
An active optical system for phase-shifting desired portions of an incoming optical wavefront, comprising:a) a first control optics assembly for receiving an incoming optical wavefront and adjusting that incoming optical wavefront in accordance with first desired wavelength and beam propagation parameters; b) a driver element for producing a driver optical wavefront; c) a second control optics assembly for receiving said driver optical wavefront and adjusting that driver optical wavefront in accordance with second desired wavelength and beam propagation parameters; d) a combiner for receiving an output from the first control optics assembly and an output from the second control optics assembly, said combiner providing a combined, co-linear propagation output wavefront having an initial beam size; e) spatial light modulator (SLM) addressing optics for receiving the combined, co-linear propagation output wavefront and producing a desired beam size for the combined, co-linear propagation output wavefront; f) an SLM for receiving the output from the SLM addressing optics and providing localized phased shifting of the resulting wavefront; and, g) SLM egressing optics for receiving the output of the SLM and returning the beam size of the wavefront to the initial beam size, the output of the SLM egressing optics having desired portions of its phase shifted relative to the incoming optical wavefront.