Patent ID: 7150543

Claim:
An optical modulator holder which holds and cools an optical modulator for modulating light beam emitted from a light source in accordance with image information to form an optical image, the holder comprising: an optical modulator holding unit including a rectangular plate-like member having an opening corresponding to an image formation area of the optical modulator, and a pair of upright parts being upright in an out-of-plane direction of the rectangular plate-like member respectively from opposed edges of the rectangular plate-like member, the optical modulator holding unit having a substantially rectangular U-shape cross section and being made of heat-conductive material; a plate-like member having an opening corresponding to the image formation area of the optical modulator, and made of heat-conductive material; and an optical modulator cooling unit constituted by a hollow member which is made of heat-conductive material and capable of enclosing cooling fluid inside, wherein in the rectangular plate-like member of the optical modulator holding unit and the plate-like member, peripheries of the respective openings heat-transferably contact respectively with each of a light-incident side and a light-irradiation side of the optical modulator, threreby holding the optical modulator inside the rectangular U-shape of the optical modulator holding unit, and the optical modulator cooling unit is formed in a ring-like shape arranged so as to surround outer circumference of the optical modulator and connected heat-transferably to the optical modulator on inner side surfaces, the optical modulator cooling unit having an inlet port for introducing the cooling fluid to inside and an outlet port for discharging the cooling fluid from inside to outside.