An optical imager system and method of operating the optical imager system, can include one or more imager modules including a laser light source, a collimator, an illumination optical system, a grating light valve, a spatial light modulator and a projection optical system. A group of imager modules can include the one or more imager modules. The group of imager modules is operable in a stacked arrangement to produce an image from in-line stitching of individual images generated by the one or more imager modules. The illumination optical system can homogenize, shape, and direct a beam from the laser light source onto the grating light valve, and homogenization can occur in a cross-process direction.

A holographic display system for a motor vehicle includes a coherent light source for generating a beam of coherent light and a spatial light modulator (SLM) having a two-dimensional pixel array, which is encoded with a hologram for modulating a phase of the coherent light. The SLM generates a first diffracted beam associated with a main image and a second diffracted beam associated with a conjugate image, where the first and second diffracted beams are angularly spaced from one another by a first angle. The system further includes an optical component for angularly spacing the first and second diffracted beams from one another by a second angle that is larger than the first angle. The system further includes a display surface receiving the first diffracted beam from the optical component to display the main image, with the display surface being free of the second diffracted beam.

Methods and systems for using a MEMS mirror for steering a LiDAR beam and for minimizing statically emitted light from a LiDAR system are disclosed. A LiDAR system includes a light source that emits a light beam directed at a MEMS device. The MEMS device includes a manipulable mirror that reflects the emitted light beam in a scanning pattern. The MEMS device also includes a substrate positioned adjacent to and at least partially surrounding the mirror. An attenuation layer is disposed on a top surface of the substrate and is configured to attenuate light reflected by the substrate.

An optoelectronic sensor is provided having a light receiver, a reception optics arranged upstream of the light receiver, and a control and evaluation unit, wherein the reception optics has a beam deflection device having a plurality of switchable blaze gratings of different grating constants arranged behind one another, and wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to switch a blaze grating on and off in accordance with a desired deflection angle of the beam deflection device have the same grating constants, but a mutually different blaze angle.

A laser interferometer includes: a laser light source; a collimator configured to generate collimated light; an optical modulator configured to modulate the collimated light into reference light having a different frequency; and a light receiving element configured to receive object light and the reference light and output a light receiving signal, in which when an optical axis of the collimated light is a first optical axis, when return light is generated, an optical axis of the return light is a second optical axis, a position at which the collimated light is generated is a reference position, the following equation (A) is satisfied:

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}\frac{K}{2}+\frac{1}{2}\left(R+\frac{2L}{R}\lambda \right)\leqq \Delta y& \left(A\right)\end{array}$

in which Δy is a shift width between the first optical axis and the second optical axis at the reference position, κ is an effective diameter of the collimator, R is a light diameter of the collimated light, L is a distance between the reference position and the optical modulator, and Λ is a wavelength of the collimated light.

A light source apparatus includes an excitation light shining device for emitting excitation light, a rotational wheel device including a rotational wheel including a filter area for transmitting light in a predetermined wavelength range differing from a wavelength range of the excitation light and reflecting the excitation light and a direction-changing transmission area for transmitting the excitation light while changing a direction thereof, and a luminescent light emission device which receives the excitation light reflected on the filter area to thereby emit luminescent light including the light in the predetermined wavelength range towards the filter area, and the rotational wheel device is disposed so that an axis of the excitation light which passes through the direction-changing transmission area and an axis of the luminescent light in the predetermined wavelength range which passes through the filter area are superposed on each other.

A beam steering apparatus including a first actuatable micromirror array (AMA) having a pitch, p, adapted to impart a modulation to a wavefront incident on the first AMA by a transition between a first state and a second state, wherein the first AMA has a transition time (T) between the first state and the second state, and at least one light source adapted to provide the incident wavefront having a duration, t, to the first AMA, where t≤T. The AMA may be a MEMS device such as a digital micromirror array. The beam steering apparatus may constitute a portion of LIDAR system.

A backlit transparent display and a transparent display system provide a displayed image while enabling a background scene to be visible through the display. The backlit transparent display includes a light guide, a plurality of scattering elements, and an array of light valves configured to modulate emitted light scattered from the light guide to provide modulated emitted light representing a displayed image. Transparency of the backlit transparent display is configured to enable the background scene to be visible through the backlit transparent display. The transparent display system includes the array of light valves and a transparent backlight. The transparent display system is configured to provide the displayed image as superimposed on the background scene visible through the transparent display system.

Provided are spatial light modulators, methods of driving and manufacturing the same, and apparatuses including the spatial light modulators. The spatial light modulator according to an example embodiment includes a substrate, a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) layer stacked on one surface of the substrate, a cavity layer on the DBR layer, a pixel layer on the cavity layer and including a plurality of pixels, and a heat blocking member between the plurality of pixels to block heat transfer between the plurality of pixels, wherein a material layer having a lower thermal conductivity than the lowermost layer of the DBR layer is provided between the substrate and the DBR layer, and each of the plurality of pixels includes a plurality of active meta-patterns. In one example, the material layer, the DBR layer, and the cavity layer are each divided corresponding to the plurality of pixels, and the heat blocking member is provided between the divided material layers, between the divided DBR layers, and between the divided cavity layers.

Methods, systems, devices, and substrates are described. In some examples, an apparatus may include optical components configured to adjust an input to a laser cutting optic for modifying a substrate (e.g., an optically transmissive substrate). In some examples, the optical components may include a beam deflector, a first optic configured to output a first laser beam with a first beam width, and a second optic configured to output a second laser beam with a second beam width. In some examples, the beam deflector may modify an optical path of a pulsed laser (e.g., through the first optic or through the second optic), which may result in an input to the laser cutting optic having a beam width corresponding to the first optic or the second optic. The different input beam widths may modify a line focus intensity of an output of the laser cutting optic when modifying the substrate.