CN112596281B - Spatial light modulator and method of making the same - Google Patents
Spatial light modulator and method of making the same Download PDFInfo
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- CN112596281B CN112596281B CN202011499623.XA CN202011499623A CN112596281B CN 112596281 B CN112596281 B CN 112596281B CN 202011499623 A CN202011499623 A CN 202011499623A CN 112596281 B CN112596281 B CN 112596281B
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- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
- G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour
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Abstract
The invention discloses a spatial light modulator, comprising: the reflecting layer is used for reflecting incident waves; a modulation layer disposed on the reflective layer, the modulation layer having adjustable optical properties and comprising a pixel modulation unit; the electrode layer is arranged on the modulation layer and comprises a modulation electrode, the modulation electrode is arranged on the pixel modulation unit, the modulation electrode changes the optical property of the modulation layer by changing the voltage applied to the pixel modulation unit, and the electrode layer has the characteristics of high stability, high robustness, long service life and high modulation speed. The invention also discloses a preparation method of the spatial light modulator, which adopts the modulation electrode to change the optical property of the modulation layer by changing the voltage of the pixel modulation unit so as to realize the modulation of light waves.
Description
Technical Field
The invention relates to the field of optics, in particular to a spatial light modulator and a preparation method thereof.
Background
The optical information processing technology is based on an optical device, utilizes light waves to bear information, processes the information in a parallel mode, has the advantages of large information capacity and high information processing speed, has important application value in the rapidly-developing information era, and has important functions in the fields of optical communication, biosensors, optical computers, digital holographic imaging and the like.
A spatial light modulator is an important optical device in an optical information processing system, and has a plurality of pixel units, and is capable of adjusting optical parameters such as amplitude and phase of an optical wave to form a one-dimensional or two-dimensional distribution of the optical parameters in space. The current class of spatial light modulators is mainly liquid crystal spatial light modulators. The main functional material of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator is liquid crystal, and the liquid crystal spatial light modulator further comprises a guide layer and frame sealing glue. The connection structures such as the frame sealing glue and the like are easy to move, and the problem of weak fixing stability exists. The liquid crystal is generally used at a temperature not exceeding 50 ℃. The liquid crystal, the guide layer and the frame sealing glue are all organic matters with low temperature stability, are easy to age when being used under illumination and high temperature, and have the problems of low use temperature and short service life. The modulation mechanism of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator usually adopts the electric double refraction effect of liquid crystal, and the liquid crystal spatial light modulator has the defect of low modulation speed due to the limitation of the minimum uniformity of the thicknesses of liquid crystal materials and liquid crystal layers and the minimum thickness of the liquid crystal layers, and the modulation speed is usually in the order of hundred hertz.
Because the liquid crystal spatial light modulator contains more structural parts, the preparation method of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator has the defects of more processing steps, high processing difficulty, high production cost and low yield. The steps of fabricating the liquid crystal spatial light modulator generally include steps of fabricating a silicon-based cmos ic and steps of attaching and packaging a liquid crystal panel. The steps of manufacturing the silicon-based complementary metal oxide semiconductor integrated circuit generally include first depositing silicon oxide, first patterning, ion implantation, removing residual silicon oxide, second depositing silicon oxide, depositing silicon nitride, second patterning, third depositing silicon oxide, depositing silicon nitride, third patterning, and manufacturing contact holes, gates, electrodes, etc., and totally include 19 steps of 9 depositions, 3 ion implantations, 7 patterning, etc., with a yield of 90%. The step of laminating and packaging the liquid crystal panel comprises 5 steps of preparing a guide layer, exposing the guide layer, coating frame sealing glue, pouring liquid crystal, coating sealing glue and the like, and the yield is 30%. Therefore, the number of the preparation steps of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator is 24, the yield is 27%, the yield is low, and the production cost is high. The patterning times are more, the alignment deviation is larger, the preparation difficulty of the contact hole is large, and the alignment deviation of the coating frame sealing glue is larger, so that the processing difficulty of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator is high.
Disclosure of Invention
In order to solve the technical problems, reduce the processing difficulty of the spatial light modulator and improve the yield of the spatial light modulator, the invention discloses the spatial light modulator and a preparation method thereof, and the specific scheme is as follows.
A spatial light modulator, comprising:
the reflecting layer is used for reflecting incident waves;
a modulation layer disposed on the reflective layer, the modulation layer having adjustable optical properties and comprising a pixel modulation unit;
and the electrode layer is arranged on the modulation layer and comprises a modulation electrode, the modulation electrode is arranged on the pixel modulation unit, and the modulation electrode is used for changing the optical property of the modulation layer by changing the voltage applied to the pixel modulation unit.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the number of the modulation electrodes is plural, and the plural modulation electrodes are arranged on the electrode layer in an array.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the reflective layer comprises at least two layers, each of the layers having a different refractive index; the reflective layer material comprises one of the following materials: a conductor, a semiconductor, or an insulator.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the number of the reflective layers is even, and the material of the layers with odd number of the layers is SiO 2 The thickness is positive integral multiple of 240nm, and the refractive index is 1.5; the material of the layers with the number of even numbers is Ta 2 O 5 The thickness is positive integral multiple of 190nm, and the refractive index is 2.0.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the material of the modulation layer comprises one of: thermo-optic materials, electro-optic materials, acousto-optic materials, or magneto-optic materials.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the electrode layer further comprises:
the common electrode pad is connected with the modulation electrode through an extraction electrode;
the pixel electrode pad is connected with the modulation electrode through an extraction electrode;
the common electrode pad is connected with the negative electrode of an external power supply, and the pixel electrode pad is connected with the positive electrode of the external power supply; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,
the public electrode bonding pad is connected with the positive electrode of an external power supply, and the pixel electrode bonding pad is connected with the negative electrode of the external power supply.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the material of the electrode layer comprises one or a combination of: metals, alloys, and transparent conductive oxides.
A method of making a spatial light modulator comprising:
preparing a reflective layer on the substrate layer;
preparing a modulation layer on a reflection layer, and carrying out imaging on the modulation layer to prepare a pixel modulation unit;
preparing an electrode layer on the modulation layer, and carrying out graphical preparation on the electrode layer to prepare a modulation electrode, an extraction electrode, a common electrode pad and a pixel electrode pad;
preparing an insulating layer on the electrode layer, and patterning the insulating layer;
the modulation electrode is arranged on the pixel modulation unit, the common electrode pad is connected with the negative electrode of an external power supply, and the pixel electrode pad is connected with the positive electrode of the external power supply; alternatively, the first and second liquid crystal display panels may be,
the public electrode bonding pad is connected with the positive pole of an external power supply, and the pixel electrode bonding pad is connected with the negative pole of the external power supply.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, patterning the modulation layer further comprises thinning and polishing a lower surface of the modulation layer, and bonding an upper surface of the reflective layer and the lower surface of the modulation layer.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the preparing the reflective layer, the preparing the modulation layer, the preparing the electrode layer, and the preparing the insulating layer include a physical method or a chemical method; the physical method comprises one of the following: magnetron sputtering, ion beam sputtering, electron beam evaporation, thermal evaporation or molecular beam epitaxy; the chemical process comprises one of: chemical vapor deposition, electrochemical, sol-gel, or hydrothermal methods.
Through the technical scheme, the optical property of the modulation layer is changed by changing the voltage of the pixel modulation unit through the modulation electrode, and then the modulation of the light wave is realized.
Drawings
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a spatial light modulator architecture according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a spatial light modulator according to another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a schematic top view of a spatial light modulator of an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a schematic top view of a spatial light modulator according to another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a flow chart that schematically illustrates a method for fabricating a spatial light modulator, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
wherein 100 denotes a substrate layer; 200 denotes a reflective layer, and 201 to 208 denote odd and even numbered layers of the reflective layer, respectively; 300 denotes a modulation layer, 301 denotes a pixel modulation unit; 400 denotes an electrode layer, 401 denotes a common electrode pad, 402 denotes a pixel electrode pad, 403 denotes an extraction electrode, and 404 denotes a modulation electrode; and 500 denotes an insulating layer.
Detailed Description
In order that the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent, the present invention will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in conjunction with the following specific embodiments.
It is to be understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention. In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. It may be evident, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. Furthermore, in the following description, descriptions of well-known technologies are omitted so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concepts of the present invention.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "comprising" as used herein indicates the presence of the features, steps, operations but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features.
All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. It is noted that the terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with the context of this specification and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense.
The invention aims to provide a spatial light modulator and a preparation method thereof, the problems of weak fixing stability, low use temperature, short service life and low modulation speed can be solved by using the spatial light modulator, and the problems of more processing steps, high processing difficulty, low yield and high production cost can be solved by using the preparation method of the spatial light modulator.
In order to solve the technical problem, the invention discloses a spatial light modulator and a preparation method thereof, and the specific scheme is as follows.
Fig. 1 schematically shows a schematic structure of a spatial light modulator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in fig. 1, a spatial light modulator comprises: a reflective layer 200, a modulation layer 300, and an electrode layer 400.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the reflective layer 200 is used for reflecting incident waves, and specifically, light waves sequentially pass through the electrode layer 400 and the modulation layer 300, are reflected by the reflective layer 200, and sequentially pass through the modulation layer 300 and the electrode layer 400, so as to complete the modulation of light waves.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the reflective layer 200 comprises at least two layers, each layer having a different refractive index; the reflective layer 200 comprises one of the following materials: a conductor, a semiconductor, or an insulator.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the reflective layer 200 has an even number of layers, and the odd number of layers is made of SiO 2 The thickness is positive integral multiple of 240nm, and the refractive index is 1.5; the material of the layered layer with even number of layers is Ta 2 O 5 The thickness is positive integral multiple of 190nm, and the refractive index is 2.0.
Fig. 2 schematically shows a schematic view of a spatial light modulator according to another embodiment of the present invention.
According to some embodiments of the invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the reflective layer 200 optionally comprises 8 layers.
Wherein the odd-numbered layers (e.g., layer 201, layer 203, layer 205, and layer 207) are made of SiO 2 The thickness is a positive integral multiple of 240nm, and the refractive index is 1.5.
The even numbered layers (e.g., layer 202, layer 204, layer 206, and layer 208) are made of Ta 2 O 5 The thickness is positive integral multiple of 190nm, and the refractive index is 2.0.
With the above structure, the reflection rate of the reflection layer 200 for a wavelength light wave having 1550nm can be made 95%.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the reflective layer 200 is composed of layered spaces of high and low index materials, which can achieve higher reflectivity.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the reflective layer 200 is located below the modulation layer 300, and the reflective layer 200 has a high reflectivity, so that the reflective layer 200 can reflect the light wave incident from above and passing through the modulation layer 300 back to above, thereby implementing the modulation of the light wave, and forming a reflective spatial light modulator.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the reflective layer 200 has a thickness of 1nm to 1mm.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the reflective layer 200 is a conductor Al. The thickness of Al is 200nm and the reflectance at 1550nm wavelength is 90%.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, a modulation layer 300 is disposed on the reflective layer 200, the modulation layer 300 having adjustable optical properties, including a pixel modulation unit 301.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the optical properties of the modulation layer 300 may be adjustable, including refractive index or absorption coefficient.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the shape of the pixel modulation unit 301 comprises a cube, a cuboid, a cylinder or a trapezoidal pyramid.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the number of the pixel modulation units 301 is plural, and a gap is provided between two adjacent pixel modulation units 301.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the material of the modulation layer 300 comprises one of: thermo-optic materials, electro-optic materials, acousto-optic materials, or magneto-optic materials.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the modulation layer 300 is a conductor, a semiconductor, or an insulator.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the structure of the modulation layer 300 is a thin film structure, a nano-structure, a superlattice structure, or a photonic crystal structure.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the key is a keyThe layer 300 includes one of: si, ge, ITO, AZO, znO, gaN, alN, znS, siC, alP, gaP, au, ag, pt, VO 2 、LiNbO 3 、LiTaO 3 、BaTiO 3 、Ta 2 O 5 Or SiO 2 。
According to some embodiments of the invention, the modulation layer 300 has a thickness of 1nm to 1mm.
According to some embodiments of the invention, optionally, the modulation layer 300 is BaTiO 3 。BaTiO 3 Has a thickness of 500nm. BaTiO 2 3 Is an electro-optic material with an electro-optic coefficient of 105pm/V and a refractive index of 2.1 at 1550nm wavelength. It can be understood that the modulation layer 300 is located below the electrode layer 400, and the modulation layer 300 has a large electro-optic coefficient, so that the refractive index of the modulation layer 300 can be changed by applying a voltage to the modulation layer 300 through the electrode layer 400, thereby changing the optical path difference of incident light passing through the modulation layer and realizing the modulation of light waves.
According to some embodiments of the invention, optionally, the modulation layer 300 is VO 2 。VO 2 Is 100nm. VO (vacuum vapor volume) 2 Is a thermo-optical material with a refractive index of 2.1 at 1550nm wavelength. It can be understood that the modulation layer 300 is located below the electrode layer 400, so that the temperature of the modulation layer 300 can be changed by applying a voltage to the electrode layer 400 to generate heat, thereby changing the refractive index of the modulation layer 300, further changing the optical path difference of the incident light passing through the modulation layer 300, and realizing the modulation of the light wave.
FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a schematic top view of a spatial light modulator of an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4 schematically illustrates a schematic top view of a spatial light modulator according to another embodiment of the present invention.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, which may be described in conjunction with fig. 2, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, the electrode layer 400 is disposed on the modulation layer 300, and includes a modulation electrode 404, the modulation electrode 404 is disposed on the pixel modulation unit 301, and the modulation electrode 404 accomplishes changing the optical properties of the modulation layer 300 by changing the voltage applied to the pixel modulation unit 301.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the number of the modulating electrodes 404 is plural, and the plural modulating electrodes 404 are arranged on the electrode layer in an array.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the shape of the modulation electrode 404 comprises a cube, a cuboid, a cylinder, or a trapezoidal pyramid.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the shape of the modulation electrode 404 conforms to the shape of the pixel modulation unit 301.
According to some embodiments of the invention, optionally, the electrode layer 400 is Au. The thickness of Au was 100nm. The Au material has a resistivity of 2.4 × 10 -8 Omega. M. The modulating electrodes 404 were 1mm in length, 1 μm in width and 1mm apart.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the common electrode pad 401 may alternatively have a length and a width of 100 μm.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, optionally, the length and width of the pixel electrode pad 402 are both 100 μm, and the smaller pitch in the vertical direction is 10 μm.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the width of the extraction electrode 403 is 1 μm, and the smaller pitch of the extraction electrode and the modulation electrode in the vertical direction is 1 μm.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, there are 16 modulation electrodes 404 in the electrode layer, and the electrode layer is arranged in a 4 × 4 array, and correspondingly, one pixel modulation unit 301 is located below each modulation electrode 404. The number of the common electrode pads 401 is 1, and the common electrode pads 401 are connected to the negative electrode of an external power supply and to one end of each modulation electrode 404 via the extraction electrodes 403. The number of the pixel electrode pads 402 is 16, the pixel electrode pads 402 are used for connecting the positive electrode of an external power supply, and each pixel electrode pad 402 is connected to the other end of one modulation electrode 404 through a lead electrode 403. It is understood that the electrode layer 400 is located above the modulation layer 300, and the common electrode pad 401 and each pixel electrode pad 402 can independently control the voltage on each pixel modulation unit 301, so as to independently control the refractive index of the modulation layer 300, thereby realizing the two-dimensional distribution of the light wave in space.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the electrode layer 400 further includes a common electrode pad 401, an extraction electrode 403, and a pixel electrode pad 402.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, gaps are provided between the common electrode pad 401, the pixel electrode pad 402, the extraction electrode 403, and the modulation electrode 404.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the thickness of the electrode layer 400 is 1nm to 1mm.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the modulating electrode 404 is 1nm to 1mm in length and 1nm to 1mm in width.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the common electrode pad 401 has a length of 1nm to 1mm and a width of 1nm to 1mm.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the pixel electrode pad 402 has a length of 1nm to 1mm and a width of 1nm to 1mm.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the length of the extraction electrode 403 is 1nm to 1mm.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the spacing between two adjacent modulation electrodes 404 is 1nm to 1mm.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the extraction electrode 403 and the modulation electrode 404 are spaced apart by 1nm to 1mm in the vertical direction.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the common electrode pad 401 is connected to the modulation electrode 404 through the extraction electrode 403.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the pixel electrode pad 402 is connected to the modulation electrode 404 through the extraction electrode 403.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the common electrode pad 401 is connected to a negative electrode of an external power source, and the pixel electrode pad 402 is connected to a positive electrode of the external power source; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,
the common electrode pad 401 is connected to the positive electrode of an external power source, and the pixel electrode pad 402 is connected to the negative electrode of the external power source.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the material of the electrode layer 400 includes one or a combination of the following: metals, alloys, and transparent conductive oxides.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the electrode layer 400 comprises Ag, cu, au, al, pt, ni, cr, ti or ITO.
According to the inventionIn some embodiments, the electrode layer 400 is Au. The thickness of Au was 100nm. The Au material has a resistivity of 2.4 × 10 -8 Omega. M. The width of the modulator electrode 404 is 1 μm.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, as shown in fig. 4, the shape of the modulation electrode 404 is a square frame or a square structure, as shown in fig. 4, 301 denotes a partial structure in the modulation layer 300 in the area below the modulation electrode 404, and the side length of the square of the modulation electrode 404 is 1mm. The length and width of the common electrode pad 401 are both 100 μm. The length and width of the pixel electrode pad 402 are both 100 μm, and the smaller pitch in the vertical direction is 10 μm. The width of the extraction electrode 403 was 1 μm. The smaller vertical spacing between the extraction electrode and the modulator electrode is 1 μm. The electrode layer has 16 modulation electrodes 404 arranged in a 4 × 4 array, and correspondingly, one pixel modulation unit 301 is arranged below each modulation electrode 404. The number of the common electrode pads 401 is 1, and the common electrode pads 401 are connected to the negative electrode of an external power supply and to one end of each modulation electrode 404 via the extraction electrodes 403. The number of the pixel electrode pads 402 is 16, the pixel electrode pads 402 are used for connecting the positive electrode of an external power supply, and each pixel electrode pad 402 is connected to the other end of one modulation electrode 404 through a lead electrode 403. It is understood that the electrode layer 400 is located above the modulation layer 300, and the common electrode pad 401 and each pixel electrode pad 402 can independently control the voltage on each pixel modulation unit 301, so as to independently control the refractive index of the modulation layer 300, thereby implementing two-dimensional distribution of the light wave in space.
Fig. 2 schematically shows a schematic view of a spatial light modulator according to another embodiment of the present invention.
According to some embodiments of the invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the spatial light modulator further comprises a substrate layer 100, the substrate layer 100 being disposed below the reflective layer 200.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the substrate layer 100 is a conductor, a semiconductor, or an insulator.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the material of the substrate layer comprises Al, si, siO 2 Or Al 2 O 3 。
According to some embodiments of the invention, the substrate layer 100 has a thickness of 1nm to 1mm.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the substrate layer 100 is a Si material. The thickness of the substrate layer was 0.4mm. The substrate layer is mainly used for bearing, and high integration is realized. The substrate layer is cheaper, and the production cost can be reduced.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the spatial light modulator further comprises an insulating layer 500, the insulating layer 500 being disposed on top of the electrode layer 400.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the insulating layer 500 is a single crystalline material, a polycrystalline material, or an amorphous material.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the insulating layer 500 comprises one of: siO 2 2 、TiO 2 、Ta 2 O 5 、Al 2 O 3 Or Si 3 N 4 。
According to some embodiments of the invention, the insulating layer 500 has a thickness of 1nm to 1mm.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the insulating layer 500 is Al 2 O 3 。Al 2 O 3 Has a thickness of 200nm and a refractive index of 1.9 at a wavelength of 1550 nm. It can be understood that the insulating layer has excellent insulating properties and wear resistance, thereby preventing the electrodes from being short-circuited, preventing the surface of the electrode layer from being oxidized, and protecting the surface of the modulation layer.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the reflective layer 200, the modulation layer 300, and the electrode layer 400 are all solid, and the reflective layer 200, the modulation layer 300, and the electrode layer 400 are all inorganic. The inorganic solid is generally higher in use temperature than an organic material such as a liquid crystal, and has an advantage of high use temperature. Meanwhile, the aging resistance of inorganic solid is generally higher than that of organic solid, so that the spatial light modulator has the advantage of long service life, and the positions and relative positions of the reflecting layer 200, the modulating layer 300 and the electrode layer 400 are all fixed and unchangeable, so that compared with the liquid crystal spatial light modulator in the prior art, the spatial light modulator disclosed by the invention has the characteristics of high stability, high robustness and long service life.
The preparation layer 300 is a solid, and the preparation layer 300 is an inorganic substance. The minimum uniformity of the thickness of the inorganic solid modulation layer 300 is superior to that of the liquid crystal layer, and the minimum thickness of the inorganic solid modulation layer 300 is 1 order of magnitude smaller than that of the liquid crystal layer, so that the modulation speed of the spatial light modulator disclosed by the invention is higher than that of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator by more than 4 orders of magnitude, and compared with the liquid crystal spatial light modulator in the prior art, the modulation speed of the spatial light modulator disclosed by the invention is in hundred hertz order, and the modulation speed of the spatial light modulator disclosed by the invention can reach megahertz order.
Fig. 5 schematically shows a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a spatial light modulator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in fig. 5, the present invention also discloses a method for manufacturing a spatial light modulator, including:
s1: preparing a reflective layer 200 on the substrate layer 100;
s2: preparing a modulation layer 300 on the reflective layer 200, and patterning the modulation layer 300 to prepare a pixel modulation unit 301;
s3: preparing an electrode layer 400 on the modulation layer 300, and patterning the electrode layer 400 to prepare a modulation electrode 404, an extraction electrode 403, a common electrode pad 401 and a pixel electrode pad 402;
s4: preparing an insulating layer 500 on the electrode layer 400, and patterning the insulating layer 500;
the modulation electrode 404 is arranged on the pixel modulation unit 301, the common electrode pad 401 is connected with the negative electrode of the external power supply, and the pixel electrode pad 402 is connected with the positive electrode of the external power supply; alternatively, the first and second liquid crystal display panels may be,
the common electrode pad 401 is connected to the positive electrode of an external power source, and the pixel electrode pad 402 is connected to the negative electrode of the external power source.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the process of patterning includes photolithography and etching.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, before patterning the modulation layer 300, thinning and polishing a lower surface of the modulation layer 300, and bonding an upper surface of the reflective layer 200 and a lower surface of the modulation layer 300.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the preparing of the reflective layer 200, the preparing of the modulation layer 300, the preparing of the electrode layer 400, and the preparing of the insulating layer 500 include a physical method or a chemical method; the physical method includes one of the following: magnetron sputtering, ion beam sputtering, electron beam evaporation, thermal evaporation or molecular beam epitaxy; the chemical method comprises one of the following: chemical vapor deposition, electrochemical, sol-gel, or hydrothermal methods.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the preparation method of the spatial light modulator disclosed by the invention comprises 4 times of deposition and 3 times of patterning, and 7 small steps in total, which are far less than the processing steps (24) of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator in the prior art, so that the preparation method of the spatial light modulator disclosed by the invention simplifies the processing technology, improves the production efficiency and reduces the production cost.
In addition, the preparation method of the spatial light modulator disclosed by the invention only comprises the processes with lower processing difficulty, such as deposition, patterning and the like, the patterning frequency is less, the alignment deviation is smaller, the preparation of a contact hole and frame sealing glue is not needed, the preparation method has the advantage of low processing difficulty, the production cost is further reduced, and the production efficiency is improved.
The yield of the spatial light modulator produced by the method for preparing the spatial light modulator disclosed by the invention can reach 90%, and compared with the yield of 27% of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator in the prior art, the yield is improved, and the loss and the cost are reduced.
The modulation mechanism of the spatial light modulator disclosed by the invention is as follows: the optical parameters of the light wave passing through the spatial light modulator are modulated with the changes in the optical properties of the modulation layer 300. The spatial light modulator is illuminated with incident light, and optical properties (e.g., refractive index, absorption coefficient, etc.) of the modulation layer 300 are changed by applying certain energy (e.g., electricity, heat, etc.) to the modulation layer 300 through the electrode layer 400, thereby changing optical parameters (e.g., phase, amplitude, etc.) of reflected light of the spatial light modulator. The reflective layer 200 is located below the modulation layer 300, and the reflective layer 200 has a high reflectivity for a certain wavelength or a certain range of wavelengths, so that the reflective layer 200 can reflect a light wave incident from above and passing through the modulation layer 300 back to above, thereby realizing modulation of the light wave. The electrode layer 400 is located above the modulation layer 300, and the common electrode pad 401 and each pixel electrode pad 402 can independently control the voltage of each pixel modulation unit 301, so as to independently control the refractive index of the modulation layer 300, thereby realizing the two-dimensional distribution of the light wave in space.
Through the technical scheme, the optical property of the modulation layer is changed by changing the voltage of the pixel modulation unit through the modulation electrode, and then the modulation of light waves is realized. The preparation method has the advantages of less processing steps, low processing difficulty, high yield, low production cost and the like.
So far, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the implementations not shown or described in the drawings or in the text of this specification are in a form known to those skilled in the art and are not described in detail. In addition, the above definitions of the components are not limited to the specific structures, shapes or manners mentioned in the embodiments, and those skilled in the art may easily modify or replace them.
It is also noted that, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical parameters set forth in the specification and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present disclosure. In particular, all numbers expressing dimensions, range conditions, and so forth, used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about". Generally, the expression is meant to encompass variations of ± 10% in some embodiments, 5% in some embodiments, 1% in some embodiments, 0.5% in some embodiments by the specified amount.
It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that various combinations and/or combinations of features described in the various embodiments and/or in the claims of the invention are possible, even if such combinations or combinations are not explicitly described in the invention. In particular, various combinations and/or combinations of the features recited in the various embodiments and/or claims of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit or teaching of the invention. All such combinations and/or associations are within the scope of the present invention.
The above-mentioned embodiments, objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention are further described in detail, it should be understood that the above-mentioned embodiments are only examples of the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention, and any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements and the like made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims (9)
1. A spatial light modulator, comprising:
the reflecting layer is used for reflecting incident waves;
a modulation layer disposed on the reflective layer, the modulation layer having adjustable optical properties and comprising a pixel modulation unit;
the electrode layer is arranged on the modulation layer and comprises a modulation electrode, the modulation electrode is arranged on the pixel modulation unit, and the modulation electrode is used for changing the optical property of the modulation layer by changing the voltage applied to the pixel modulation unit;
the common electrode pad is connected with the modulation electrode through an extraction electrode;
the pixel electrode pad is connected with the modulation electrode through an extraction electrode;
the common electrode pad is connected with the negative electrode of an external power supply, and the pixel electrode pad is connected with the positive electrode of the external power supply; alternatively, the first and second liquid crystal display panels may be,
the public electrode bonding pad is connected with the positive pole of an external power supply, and the pixel electrode bonding pad is connected with the negative pole of the external power supply.
2. The spatial light modulator according to claim 1, wherein the number of the modulation electrodes is plural, and the plural modulation electrodes are arranged in an array on the electrode layer.
3. A spatial light modulator according to claim 1, wherein said reflective layer comprises at least two layers, each of said layers having a different refractive index; the reflective layer material comprises one of the following materials: a conductor, a semiconductor, or an insulator.
4. The spatial light modulator of claim 3, wherein the reflective layer has an even number of layers, and the odd number of layers is made of SiO 2 The thickness is positive integral multiple of 240nm, and the refractive index is 1.5; the material of the layered layer with even number of layers is Ta 2 O 5 The thickness is positive integral multiple of 190nm, and the refractive index is 2.0.
5. A spatial light modulator according to claim 1 wherein the material of the modulation layer comprises one of: thermo-optic materials, electro-optic materials, acousto-optic materials, or magneto-optic materials.
6. A spatial light modulator according to any of claims 1-5 wherein the material of the electrode layer comprises one or a combination of: metals, alloys, and transparent conductive oxides.
7. A method of fabricating a spatial light modulator, comprising:
preparing a reflective layer on the substrate layer;
preparing a modulation layer on a reflection layer, and carrying out imaging on the modulation layer to prepare a pixel modulation unit;
preparing an electrode layer on the modulation layer, and carrying out imaging on the electrode layer to prepare a modulation electrode, an extraction electrode, a common electrode pad and a pixel electrode pad;
preparing an insulating layer on the electrode layer, and patterning the insulating layer;
the modulation electrode is arranged on the pixel modulation unit, the common electrode pad is connected with the negative electrode of an external power supply, and the pixel electrode pad is connected with the positive electrode of the external power supply; alternatively, the first and second liquid crystal display panels may be,
the public electrode bonding pad is connected with the positive electrode of an external power supply, and the pixel electrode bonding pad is connected with the negative electrode of the external power supply.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, prior to patterning the modulation layer, thinning and polishing a lower surface of the modulation layer to bond an upper surface of the reflective layer and the lower surface of the modulation layer.
9. The production method according to claim 7, wherein the production of the reflective layer, the production of the modulation layer, the production of the electrode layer, and the production of the insulating layer include a physical method or a chemical method; the physical method comprises one of the following: magnetron sputtering, ion beam sputtering, electron beam evaporation, thermal evaporation or molecular beam epitaxy; the chemical process comprises one of: chemical vapor deposition, electrochemical, sol-gel, or hydrothermal methods.
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| US5412499A (en) * | 1993-03-29 | 1995-05-02 | At&T Corp. | Spatial light modulator using quantum well material |
| JPH07209665A (en) * | 1993-11-30 | 1995-08-11 | Victor Co Of Japan Ltd | Spatial optical modulation device |
| US6798550B1 (en) * | 1999-11-18 | 2004-09-28 | Corning Applied Technologies Corporation | Spatial light modulator |
| JP2005043770A (en) * | 2003-07-24 | 2005-02-17 | Sun Tec Kk | Spatial light modulator, method for optical recording, and device for optical recording |
| US8687260B2 (en) * | 2007-12-28 | 2014-04-01 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Solid-state optical modulator |
| EP3282305B1 (en) * | 2016-08-10 | 2020-05-06 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Optical modulator using phase change material and device including the same |
| CN107942539A (en) * | 2017-11-17 | 2018-04-20 | 厦门大学 | A kind of reflective spatial electrooptic modulator based on graphene |
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