Patent ID: 6762872
Filing Date: 2004-07-13
Classification: G02F

Abstract:
A spatial light modulator comprising:a magnetic layer made of a magneto-optic material and including a plurality of pixels whose directions of magnetization are set independently of one another, each of the pixels causing rotation of a direction of polarization of incident light depending on its direction of magnetization due to a magneto-optic effect; a plurality of soft magnetic layers located near the respective pixels, each of the soft magnetic layers being selectively magnetized in either of two opposite directions depending on a magnetic field from exterior; and a magnetic field generator for generating a magnetic field for setting the direction of magnetization of each of the soft magnetic layers, wherein each of the pixels includes two regions that take different states of magnetization when the soft magnetic layer nearby is magnetized, directions of magnetization in the two regions changing depending on the direction of magnetization of the soft magnetic layer.