Concepts pertaining to integrated sensor and optical phase/amplitude modulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10935819-B2
Application number	US-201816016193-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2018
Priority date	Jun 23, 2017
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

An integrated sensor and optical phase/amplitude modulator device including a modulator stacked on or above a detector. A circuit receives a signal outputted from the detector in response to an input field irradiating the detector. The circuit performs binary operations comprising classifying the input phase of the input electromagnetic radiation into one of two ranges and setting the modulator into one of two states depending on which range the input phase is classified into. The modulator transmits output electromagnetic radiation having an output field modulated according to the state of the modulator set by the circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a modulator stacked on or above a detector;
a circuit connected to the modulator and the detector, wherein:
the detector outputs a signal in response to electromagnetic radiation irradiating the detector, the electromagnetic radiation including input electromagnetic radiation having an input field;
the circuit determines from the signal whether the input field has an input phase P in a first range or a second range:

(i) the first range comprising P>0 and the second range comprising P<0, or
(ii) the first range comprising 0+B≤P≤π+B and the second range comprising P<0+B or P>π+B, where 0≤B≤2π;
the circuit sets the modulator into a first state if the phase P is in the first range and sets the modulator into a second state if the phase P is in the second range; and
the modulator in the first state or the second state modulates output electromagnetic radiation so that the output electromagnetic radiation, comprising an output amplitude and/or an output phase controlled by the modulator, is transmitted from the modulator.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first state comprises the modulator being reflective or emissive and the second state comprises the modulator being non-reflective or non-emissive, so that the output electromagnetic radiation is reflected or emitted from the modulator when the modulator is in the first state and the output electromagnetic radiation is not reflected (or not emitted) from the modulator when the modulator is in the second state.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the first range comprises P>0 and the second range comprises P<0.

4. The device of claim 2 , the first range comprises 0+B≤P≤π+B and the second range comprises P<0+B or P>π+B, where 0≤B≤2π.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first state sets the output field to have the output phase of 0+C radians and the second state sets the output field to have the output phase π+C, where 0≤C≤2π.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the output field is a phase conjugate of the input field.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the circuit determines whether the input phase is in the first range or the second range using a process including lock in detection.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation includes reference electromagnetic radiation; and
the circuit:
compares an intensity of the signal outputted from the detector with and without the input field irradiating the detector; and
determines whether the intensity of the signal increases or decreases in a presence of the input field to determine whether the input field has an input phase P in the first range or the second range.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the circuit automatically sets the modulator into the first state or the second state upon determination of whether the input phase is in the first range or the second range.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the circuit is integrated or physically attached to the modulator and/or the detector and the input field is not transmitted off the device to a processor.

11. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of the devices disposed in an array, wherein each of the devices comprise a pixel or tile.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the circuit sets the output phase and/or output amplitude of the output field transmitted from each of the pixels so that the output phases and/or output amplitudes vary across the array or from pixel to pixel or from tile to tile.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the modulator comprises a spatial light modulator.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the modulator comprises a ferroelectric modulation layer.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the modulator comprises a digital micromirror device (DMD).

16. A method of outputting a phase conjugate field, comprising:
receiving a signal from a detector in response to electromagnetic radiation irradiating the detector, the electromagnetic radiation including input electromagnetic radiation having an input field;
determining from the signal whether the input field has an input phase P in a first range or a second range:
(i) the first range comprising P>0 and the second range comprising P<0, or
(ii) the first range comprising 0+B≤P≤π+B and the second range comprising P<0+B or P>π+B, where 0≤B≤2π;

setting a modulator into a first state if the phase P is in the first range and setting the modulator into a second state if the phase P is in the second range; and wherein
the modulator in the first state or the second state modulates output electronic radiation so that the output electronic radiation, comprising an output amplitude and/or an output phase controlled by the modulator, is transmitted from the modulator.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first state comprises the modulator being reflective or emissive and the second state comprises the modulator being non-reflective or non-emissive, so that the output electromagnetic radiation is reflected or emitted from the modulator when the modulator is in the first state and the output electromagnetic radiation is not reflected (or not emitted) from the modulator when the modulator is in the second state.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the output field is a phase conjugate of the input field.

19. A device, comprising:
a modulator stacked on or above a detector;
a circuit connected to the modulator and the detector, wherein:
the detector outputs a signal in response to electromagnetic radiation irradiating the detector, the electromagnetic radiation including input electromagnetic radiation having an input field;
from the signal, the circuit determines an input phase (θ) of the input field;
the circuit automatically outputs an output phase x as −θ−π/2≤x≤−θ+π/2 to the modulator and wherein x≠−θ; and
the modulator modulates output electronic radiation so that the output electronic radiation comprising the output phase is transmitted from the modulator.

20. The device of claim 19 , wherein the circuit is integrated with the modulator and the detector and the input field is not transmitted off the device to a processor.

Assignees

• California Inst Of Techn

Inventors

• Yang Changhuei
• Gigan Sylvain

Classifications

• G02F2/004

  Transferring the modulation of modulated light, i.e. transferring the information from one optical carrier of a first wavelength to a second optical carrier of a second wavelength, e.g. all-optical wavelength converter · CPC title

• G02F2203/12

  spatial light modulator · CPC title

• G02F1/0121 Primary

  Operation of devices; Circuit arrangements, not otherwise provided for in this subclass · CPC title

• G02F1/19

  based on variable-reflection or variable-refraction elements not provided for in groups G02F1/015 - G02F1/169 · CPC title

• G02F2201/58

  Arrangements comprising a monitoring photodetector · CPC title