Patent ID: 7656571

Claim:
An imaging method comprising: emitting radiation from an illumination source towards a total internal reflection (TIR) modulator, the TIR modulator comprising: a member comprising an electro-optic material; a plurality of individually addressable pixel regions; and wherein each pixel region comprises a first set of electrodes arranged in an interdigitated relationship with a second set of electrodes; controlling at least one of the pixel regions to form at least one image pixel on a surface; imposing a first electric potential on the first set of electrodes of a pixel region in accordance with a first electric potential value selected from a first predetermined group of electric potential values; imposing a second electric potential on the second set of electrodes of the pixel region in accordance with a second electrical potential value selected from a second predetermined group of electric potential values; wherein the first predetermined group of electric potential values and the second predetermined group of electric potential values together comprise at least three different electric potential values; and operating a first voltage source to impose the first electric potential on the first set of electrodes of the pixel region and separately operating a second voltage source to impose the second electric potential on the second set of the electrodes of the pixel region.