Patent ID: 7113341

Claim:
A spatial light modulator comprising: a modulating unit that modulates a light based on an image signal and outputs a modulated light; a refracting part that refracts the modulated light; and a flat part that transmits the modulated light, wherein the modulating unit includes a plurality of pixels that are arranged in a matrix; and a light-shielding portion between each of the pixels, the refracting part is a prism group that is composed of a plurality of prism elements, each of the prism elements having at least a refracting surface, the modulated light from one of the pixels is incident on at least a portion of the prism group, the refracting surface is oriented to project an image of the pixel over an image of the light-shielding portion on a screen at a predetermined distance, making an apex with an angle with respect to a reference surface that is orthogonal to an optical axis at the apex, and a distance between the reference surface and the flat part and a distance between the reference surface and a predetermined point on the refracting surface are arranged in aperiodic.