An optical device comprises a pixel array including one or more pixels. Two or more independently controllable electrodes are electrically coupled to each pixel. A common ground reference electrode is electrically coupled to all pixels of the pixel array. Each pixel includes a plurality of liquid crystal molecules. The liquid crystal molecules may be oriented in a first direction based on a first function of voltages applied by the two or more independently controllable electrodes for the pixel, and oriented in a second direction based on a second function of the voltages applied by the two or more independently controllable electrodes for the pixel. In this way, both phase modulation and polarization modulation may be introduced to light illuminating the pixel array.

The invention relates to a display device, in particular a head-mounted display or hocular, having a spatial light modulator and a controllable light-deflecting device for generating a multiple image of the spatial light modulator, which consists of segments, the multiple image being produced at least with a predefinable number of segments which determines the size of a visible area within which a 3D-scene holographically encoded in the spatial light modulator can be reconstructed for observation by an eye of an observer.

A three-dimensional light modulator, of which the pixels are combined to form modulation elements. Each modulation element can be coded with a preset discrete value such that three-dimensionally arranged object points can be holographically reconstructed. The light modulator is characterized in that assigned to the pixels of the modulator are beam splitters or beam combiners which, for each modulation element, combine the light wave parts modulated by the pixels by means of refraction or diffraction on the output side to form a common light beam which exits the modulation element in a set propagation direction.

A spatial light modulator and a method for displaying a computer generated hologram are disclosed. The spatial light modulator includes a plurality of MEMS units arranged in an array, each of the MEMS units corresponds to a pixel of a computer generated hologram and includes a sensing device, a light shielding portion and a driving device. The sensing device is configured for receiving position information that is obtained through Roman encoding a pixel corresponding to an MEMS unit including the sensing device and the position information is transmitted to the driving device by the sensing device. The driving device is configured for controlling the light shielding portion to move to a position corresponding to the position information in response to the received position information of the light shielding portion when the present frame is displayed.

Electro-holographic light field generator devices comprising surface acoustic wave (SAW) optical modulators are disclosed that employ multiple output couplers. These output couplers might be distributed along waveguides of the SAW modulators, within output coupling regions. Each of these output couplers can be configured for directing an incident leaky mode light at different output angles. In some cases, it may be desirable to employ the output couplers to function as different sub-pixels, to provide light to different viewing directions. The output couplers may be mirrors, volume gratings, chirped gratings, reflection gratings, two dimensional gratings, and/or transmission gratings. The output couplers may be angled so that the coupling output fans for each optical modulator are offset from the waveguide for that optical modulator.

A holographic energy system is operable to generate an output wavefront according to a complex amplitude function. The holographic energy system includes a continuous three-dimensional energy medium, an array of energy devices configured to output energy to interact with the continuous three-dimensional energy medium to define a hologram therein, and an electromagnetic (EM) energy source positioned to output coherent EM energy that is incident on the hologram in the continuous three-dimensional energy medium to generate an output wavefront.

A complex light modulator including a first polarization plate, a second polarization plate provided, an amplitude modulator provided between the first polarization plate and the second polarization plate, a phase modulator provided between the amplitude modulator and the second polarization plate, and color filters provided between the amplitude modulator and the phase modulator.

Provided is a complex light modulator including a phase modulator, and an amplitude modulator, wherein the phase modulator and the amplitude modulator are configured to generate a first complex pixel having first complex light modulation characteristics and a second complex pixel having second complex light modulation characteristics, wherein the first complex pixel includes first sub-complex pixels that are provided in a 3?3 format and are configured to implement the first complex light modulation characteristics, wherein the second complex pixel includes second sub-complex pixels that are provided in a 3?3 format and are configured to implement the second complex light modulation characteristics, and wherein the first complex pixel and the second complex pixel respectively include a first overlapping pixel that is included in the first sub-complex pixels and the second sub-complex pixels.

An illumination device for illuminating a spatial light modulator device. Sub-holograms are used for encoding a hologram into the spatial light modulator device. The Illumination device includes at least one light source for emitting light for illuminating the spatial light modulator device and a beam shaping unit. The beam shaping unit provides a flat-top plateau-type distribution of an absolute value of a complex degree of mutual coherence of the light in a plane of the spatial light modulator device to be illuminated. The flat-top plateau-type distribution of the absolute value of the complex degree of mutual coherence has a shape that is at least similar to a shape of the largest sub-hologram used for encoding of object points into the spatial light modulator device.

A complex spatial light modulator includes a polarization-phase modulator for separating an incident beam into a first beam having a first polarization and a first phase, and a second beam having a second polarization and a second phase, and for outputting the first beam and the second beam; and a beam synthesizer including a prism structure formed of an optical anisotropic material having a first refractive index with respect to the first beam having the first polarization and having a second refractive index, different form the first refractive index, with respect to the second beam having the second polarization, where the beam synthesizer combines the first beam and the second beam.