An image projector arranged to project an image onto a display plane. The image projector comprises a processing engine, a display device, an optical element and a light source. The processing engine outputs a computer-generated diffractive pattern comprising a hologram of an image for projection and a lens function corresponding to a lens having a first optical power. The display device is arranged to display the computer-generated diffractive pattern. The optical element is disposed between the display device to the display plane. The optical element has second optical power. The light source is arranged to provide off-axis illumination of the display device in order to spatially-modulated light in accordance with the hologram and lens function. The lens function of the computer-generated diffractive pattern and the optical element collectively perform a hologram transform of the hologram such that a reconstruction of the image is formed on the display plane.

A method and apparatus for generating coherent light, and a display apparatus using coherent light are provided. A wide-angle coherent light generation apparatus may focus parallel light onto a focal point, and may generate coherent light at a wide angle, using an optical device.

An illumination apparatus that illuminates an illumination zone having a first direction and a second direction crossing the first direction is provided with a light source to emit a coherent light beam, and a diffraction optical device to diffract the coherent light beam incident from the light source. The diffraction optical device diffracts the incident coherent light beam so that a width of the illumination zone in the second direction gradually becomes wider along the first direction of the illumination zone from a nearer side to the diffraction optical device.

Methods, apparatus, devices, and systems for three-dimensional (3D) displaying objects are provided. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining data including respective primitive data for primitives corresponding to an object, determining an electromagnetic (EM) field contribution to each element of a display for each of the primitives by calculating an EM field propagation from the primitive to the element, generating a sum of the EM field contributions from the primitives for each of the elements, transmitting to each of the elements a respective control signal for modulating at least one property of the element based on the sum of the EM field contributions, and transmitting a timing control signal to an illuminator to activate the illuminator to illuminate light on the display, such that the light is caused by the modulated elements of the display to form a volumetric light field corresponding to the object.

This semiconductor laser device includes a semiconductor laser chip and a spatial light modulator SLM optically coupled to the semiconductor laser chip. The semiconductor laser chip LDC includes an active layer 4, a pair of cladding layers 2 and 7 sandwiching the active layer 4, a diffraction grating layer 6 optically coupled to the active layer 4, and a drive electrode E3 that is disposed between the cladding layer 2 and the spatial light modulator SLM and supplies an electric current to the active layer 4, and the drive electrode E3 is positioned within an XY plane and has a plurality of openings as viewed from a Z-axis direction and has a non-periodic structure.

An apparatus and method to produce a hologram of an object includes an electromagnetic radiation assembly configured to receive a received electromagnetic radiation, such as light, from the object. The electromagnetic radiation assembly is further configured to diffract the received electromagnetic radiation and transmit a diffracted electromagnetic radiation. An image capture assembly is configured to capture an image of the diffracted electromagnetic radiation and produce the hologram of the object from the captured image.

Methods of performing a complex Fourier transform of a complex data set corresponding to an image are disclosed. The methods comprise receiving a complex data set and performing a first 1D complex Fourier transform in the complex data set in Cartesian form; converting the complex data set into polar form and compressing the complex data set in polar form; performing a row-column transformation of the complex data set; decompressing the complex data set and converting the complex data set back into Cartesian form; and performing a second 1D Fourier transform in the complex data set in Cartesian form, wherein the second 1D complex Fourier transform is orthogonal to the first 1D complex Fourier transform. Corresponding systems are also disclosed, as are application to the iterative computation of computer-generated holograms.

A spatial light modulator and a liquid-crystal module are provided. The spatial light modulator includes a first liquid-crystal module and a second liquid-crystal module that are arranged opposite to each other. The first liquid-crystal module includes a first array substrate, a first color filter substrate, and a plurality of first spacers disposed therebetween. The second liquid-crystal module includes a second array substrate, a second color filter substrate, and a plurality of second spacers disposed therebetween. The first array substrate, the first color filter substrate, the second color filter substrate, and the second array substrate are stacked sequentially. At least one first spacer forms a first overlapped unit, and at least one second spacer forms a second overlapped unit. An orthographic projection of the first overlapped unit on the first array substrate fully overlaps an orthographic projection of the second overlapped unit on the first array substrate.

Methods and systems and components made according to the methods and systems, are disclosed relating to the generation of a holographic image, including a color-containing holographic image, generated exclusively optically addressing information to a projection system.

A method forms an image with a reconfigurable array of mirrors. The method includes configuring the array by translating some of the mirrors such that distances of the mirrors of the array from a reference plane have a non-uniform spatial distribution. The method includes illuminating the configured array with a coherent light beam such that part of the light beam is reflected off the array and is projected on a planar viewing screen.