Opto-electronic zernike filter for high-resolution wavefront analysis using a phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator

摘要

An opto-electronic mtechnique for high-reslution wave-front phase imaging is presented and demonstrated experimentally. The technique is analgogous to the conventional Zernike phase-contrast approach, but uses modern spatial ligh moodulator technology to increase robustness and improve performance. Because they provide direct measurements of wave-front phase (rather than wave-front slope measurements, as in Shack-harmann Sensors), robust phase-contrast sensors have potential applications in high-speed, high resolution adaptive optic systems. Advantages of the opto-electronic approach over alternative advanced phase-contrast techniques (such as a related phase-contrast sensor which uses a liquid-crystal light valve exhibiting a Kerr-type optical response to perform Fourier filtering) are discussed. The SLM used for the experimental results is a 128x128-element pixilated phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator from Boulder Nonlinear Systems, Inc.