Liquid Crystal on Silicon Devices: Modeling and Advanced Spatial Light Modulation Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) has become one of the most widespread technologies for spatial light modulation in optics and photonics applications. These reflective microdisplays are composed of a high-performance silicon complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) backplane, which controls the light modulating properties of the liquid crystal layer. State-of-the-art LCoS microdisplays may exhibit a very small pixel pitch (below 4 μm), a very large number of pixels (resolutions larger than 4K) and high fill factors (larger than 90%). They modulate illumination sources covering the UV, visible and far IR. LCoS are used not only as displays but also as polarization, amplitude and phase-only spatial light modulators, where they achieve full phase modulation. Due to their excellent modulating properties and high degree of flexibility they are found in all sorts of spatial light modulation applications, such as in LCOS based display systems for augmented and virtual reality, head-up display, head-mounted display, projector, true holographic displays, digital holography, optical storage, adaptive optics, diffractive optical elements, superresolution optical systems, optical metrology techniques, reconfigurable interconnects, beam-steering devices, wavelength selective switches in optical telecommunications, wavefront sensing of structured light beams, holographic optical traps, or quantum optical computing. In order to fulfil the requirements in this extensive range of applications, specific models and characterizations techniques are proposed These devices may exhibit a number of degradation effects such as limited modulation range for high spatial frequency image content, interpixel cross-talk and fringing field, and time flicker, which may also depend on the analog or digital backplane of the corresponding LCoS device. Appropriate characterization and compensation techniques are then necessary.

We invite you to submit a paper for this Special Issue showing the impact of LCoS microdisplays in present and future spatial light modulation applications. State-of-the-art in LCoS device technology, modeling and characterization techniques are also welcome. We hope that you find the content of this call relevant for your research and will consider publication of your work within this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Andrés Márquez
Prof. Dr. Ángel Lizana
Guest Editors

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