FERROELECTRIC LIQUID CRYSTAL OVER SILICON SPATIAL LIGHT MODULATOR VIEWABLE UNDER CONTINUOUS ILLUMINATION

Abstract We describe a pixel circuit and electronic drive scheme that enables the output of a ferroelectric liquid crystal over silicon spatial light modulator to be viewed under continuous illumination. The pixel circuit and drive scheme also ensure that all the pixels in an array are fully charged balanced, and that the output pattern appears on the array without any addressing skew. We demonstrate real-time temporally multiplexed grey scale with continuous illumination on a device containing an array of 256 × 256 pixels.