Spatial light modulator employing voltage gradient pixels, and associated methods

1. A spatial light modulator, comprising:

a transmissive window having a transparent conductive film;

a direct drive backplane having a plurality of voltage gradient pixels, each of the voltage gradient pixels having (a) resistive film, (b) resistive metal conductor frame on a boundary of the resistive film, and (c) conductive metal leads between a substrate of the direct drive backplane and the resistive metal frame, wherein differential voltages applied to the metal frame via the conductive metal leads generate a selective two-dimensional linear voltage gradient across the resistive film; and

a layer of liquid crystal material disposed between the transmissive window and the voltage gradient pixels;

the liquid crystal material of each voltage gradient pixel responsive to an electric field generated by the voltage gradient to two-dimensionally alter phase of a wavefront incident thereon.

2. The modulator of claim 1 , wherein the differential voltages are applied to four corners of the metal conductor frame.

3. The modulator of claim 1 , the conductive metal leads of each voltage gradient pixel comprising four conductive metal leads, each of the four conductive metal leads coupling between a corner of the voltage gradient pixel and the substrate.

4. The modulator of claim 1 , further comprising a dielectric mirror disposed between the liquid crystal material and the plurality of voltage gradient pixels, wherein the wavefront reflects from the modulator.

5. The modulator of claim 1 , the resistive film and the substrate being transmissive to electromagnetic energy forming the wavefront such that the modulator transmits the wavefront therethrough.

6. The modulator of claim 1 , the resistive film being reflective to the wavefront, wherein the wavefront reflects from the modulator.

7. The modulator of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of bus lines disposed with the substrate and coupled to the conductive metal leads, for controlling voltages to the resistive metal conductor frame.

8. The modulator of claim 7 , further comprising a dielectric layer disposed between the resistive film and the bus lines.

9. The modulator of claim 8 , the dielectric layer forming vias for the conductive metal leads.

10. The modulator of claim 1 , wherein, for each of the pixels, the conductive metal leads comprise four conductive metal leads, each of the four conductive metal leads coupled to a corner of one voltage gradient pixel, wherein differential voltages applied to the four conductive metal leads generate a selective voltage gradient across the resistive film.

11. The modulator of claim 1 , wherein the wavefront is one or both of tipped and tilted upon passing through the liquid crystal material and in response to voltage gradients of the pixels, to steer the wavefront.

12. A method for correcting wavefront distortion, comprising:

forming an array of pixels adjacent to liquid crystal material, each of the pixels having resistive film; and

applying voltages to four corners of the resistive film, for each of the pixels, such that liquid crystal material adjacent the resistive film imparts a two-dimensional phase gradient to a wavefront within the liquid crystal material, to correct distortion of the wavefront.

13. The method of claim 12 , the step of applying voltages comprising applying voltage levels to bus lines connected to conductive metal leads at each corner of each resistive film.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the resistive film is transmissive to the wavefront, wherein the step of applying voltages comprises imparting the two-dimensional phase gradient to the wavefront to correct distortions for a wavefront transmitted through the liquid crystal material and the resistive film.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of applying voltages comprises imparting the two-dimensional phase gradient to the wavefront to correct distortions for a wavefront reflected from a dielectric mirror between the resistive film and the liquid crystal material.

16. A method for steering a wavefront, comprising:

forming an array of pixels adjacent to liquid crystal material, each of the pixels having resistive film; and

applying voltages to four corners of the resistive film, for each of the pixels, such that the liquid crystal material imparts a phase gradient to a wavefront within the liquid crystal material, to selectively steer the wavefront.

17. The method of claim 16 , the step of applying voltages comprising applying voltage levels to bus lines connected to conductive metal leads at each corner of each resistive film.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of applying voltages comprises applying different voltage biases to different pixels, to suppress far field interference.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the resistive film is transmissive to the wavefront, wherein the step of applying voltages comprises imparting the phase gradient to the wavefront to steer a wavefront transmitted through the liquid crystal material and the resistive film.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of applying voltages comprises imparting the phase gradient to the wavefront to steer a wavefront reflected from a dielectric mirror between the resistive film and the liquid crystal material.