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In this paper, a validated procedure to replace the protective front-window of a commercial digital micro-mirror device (DMD) from Texas Instruments (TI) to allow its use over a large spectral range is presented. This reworking process was required since the original window employed for encapsulation is made from glass with an anti-reflection coating designed for a specific spectral range, incompatible with the required large spectral range of the demonstrator under development.In addition, a characterisation of the DMD performance in terms of spectral transmission, as well as switching time and pointing stability is presented.The motivation behind this study lies within the development of a novel instrument in the frame of the EU H2020 funded SURPRISE project. The project aims at developing a super-resolved compressive imager operating in the visible-near infrared (VNIR) and mid-wave infrared (MWIR) spectral ranges for space applications, especially targeting Earth Observation. The instrument concept is based on the use of a spatial light modulator (SLM), in this case a digital micromirror device (DMD), as a core element of its architecture to enable data acquisition and compression in single step based on the compressive sensing principle. Even though one of the long-term objectives is to develop a European-based SLM solution, a commercial SLM component has been selected for the demonstrator This allows reducing the development cost and initiating the development of the demonstrator in parallel to the development of a European-based solution.

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Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) technologies are well established in many application fields over the last decades. Addressing challenging operational conditions, a special class of high-speed SLMs has emerged over the past 20 years, namely Micromirror Array (MMA) devices. Fraunhofer IPMS MMA technology has enabled several ultraviolet photolithography applications at industrial scale. Given the fact that these devices are available for scientific testing, we proposed to explore for the first time their functionality and performance with respect to the space application requirements for the European framework cooperation. Previous studies strongly support this approach with the investigation of several SLM technologies for space instrumentation.In this study, the key parameters of an already available 256 x 256 pixel MMA device have been assessed and its performance has been evaluated under environmental constraints of a future space mission, in terms of temperature (from -40 °C to 80 °C), vacuum (< 10 -5 mbar) and vibrations in X-, Y-and Z-axes, showing zero failure rate for the MMA device after all tests. These experimental findings, together with simulations results, confirm the robustness of the MMA technology, especially against temperature changes, and encourage further activities for the development of a spacecustomized spatial light modulator technology.