In this work we describe the experimental realization of a simple scheme capable of implementing RGB improved dynamic color binary-phase Fourier computer-generated holograms (CGHs) by means of a single ferroelectric liquid crystal on silicon (FLCOS) display and an electronically controlled color-filter wheel. Tricolor multiwavelength illumination is achieved by aligning an Ar-Kr laser (wavelengths lambda(B)=488 nm and lambda(G)=568 nm) and a He-Ne laser ((R)=633 nm). Chromatic compensation is achieved by synchronizing a time sequence of properly scaled CGHs displayed on the FLCOS display with the corresponding filter from the color wheel. Quality CGHs are designed for each color component by using an optimized iterative Fourier transform algorithm applied to a phase-only modulation display. As a result, we present excellent experimental results on the reconstruction of these time-multiplexed wavelength-compensated diffractive optical elements and color CGHs.

We analyze the performance of a ferroelectric liquid crystal on silicon display (FLCoS) as a binary polarization diffraction grating. We analyze the correspondence between the two polarization states emerging from the displayed grating and the polarization and intensity of the diffracted orders generated at the Fourier diffraction plane. This polarization-diffraction analysis leads, in a simple manner, to configurations yielding binary amplitude or binary phase modulation by incorporating an analyzer on the reflected beam. Based on this analysis, we present two useful variations of the polarization configuration. The first is a simplification using a single polarizer, which provides equivalent results for amplitude or phase modulation as the more general operational mode involving two polarizers. The second variation is proposed to compensate the reduction of the diffraction efficiency when the operating wavelength differs from the design one (for which the FLCoS liquid-crystal layer acts as a half-wave plate). In this situation we show how the ideal grating performance can be recovered in spite of the phase-shift mismatch originated by chromatic dispersion. In all cases, we provide experimental results that verify the theoretical analyses.

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The Poincaré sphere representation is used to analyze the polarization transformation achieved with a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) optical modulator. This device acts as a switchable wave-plate, in which the orientation of the principal axes rotates under the action of an applied bipolar voltage. In the standard operational mode for intensity switching, the rotation angle of the principal axes is θ = π/4 and the phase shift is φ = π (half-wave-plate). However, for wavelengths different from the design one, the FLC deviates from the half-wave-plate performance and the optical contrast is diminished. We use the Poincaré sphere representation to perform a theoretical analysis of the intensity switch performance of the FLC modulator as a function of the phase shift φ. Using spherical trigonometric relations we derive analytical expressions for the intensity contrast as a function of φ and we show how to compensate its decrease when φ = π by using appropriate elliptically polarized illumination. These situations are experimentally demonstrated using a commercially available FLC cell.

In this work we review some optical characterization methods useful for the low cost production of two phase level computer generated holograms (CGH). As an example, binary CGH are designed with an iterative Fourier transform algorithm (IFTA) and fabricated on a silicon master micromachining with a single step of selective dry etch of silicon dioxide (SiO 2) layer. The CGH characterization is performed in three steps; a first one involves the application of spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements to accurately measure the thickness of the SiO 2 layer. These results permit the evaluation of the relative complex reflectance between the two levels of the developed hologram as a function of the wavelength. In a second step, interference microscopy is applied to directly visualize the phase shift in the SiO 2 /Si binary phase profile. Finally, the performance and diffraction efficiency of the fabricated CGH is compared for various lasers with different wavelengths. These experimental measurements in these two last steps confirm with very good accuracy the results derived from the spectroscopic ellipsometry analysis. In conjunction, the combination of these well established optical techniques provides a precise optical characterization of binary diffractive optical elements produced with simple and low cost technique, useful for mass production.