Programmable multiple-level phase modulation that uses ferroelectric liquid-crystal spatial light modulators

We present a novel method of producing arbitrarily valued binary phase-only modulation from a commercially available ferroelectric liquid-crystal spatial light modulator that is used in conjunction with simple polarization components. By cascading of such stages, modulators with four and eight equally spaced phase levels are constructed with 128 × 128 pixels. Near-diffraction-limited performance, when stopped down to 64 × 64 pixels, is reported in producing simple diffraction patterns and when used to generate asymmetric spot arrays in the Fourier plane of a lens.