Electron-beam-addressed membrane light modulator for IR scene projection

Thomas N. Horsky; Craig M. Schiller; George J. Genetti; Daniel M. O'Mara; Whitney S. Hamnett; Cardinal Warde

doi:10.1117/12.48761

1 December 1991 Electron-beam-addressed membrane light modulator for IR scene projection

Thomas N. Horsky, Craig M. Schiller, George J. Genetti, Daniel M. O'Mara, Whitney S. Hamnett, Cardinal Warde

Proceedings Volume 1540, Infrared Technology XVII; (1991) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.48761
Event: San Diego, '91, 1991, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The electron-beam-addressed membrane light modulator is a computer-controlled display device that allows the production of high-resolution, flickerless, dynamic infrared (IR) scenes. The projector consists of the membrane light modulator and an IR schlieren readout optical train. The light modulator is composed of a high-resolution scanning electron gun, a collector grid, and a special charge-transfer-plate anode onto which is bonded a highly reflective deformable membrane mirror. In a prototype device built at Optron Systems, readout of the system with a Helium-Neon laser operating at 3.39 micrometers has produced IR images with a contrast ratio of 40:1, a resolution of 100 television lines, and a membrane response time of 1 microsecond(s) . The goal of the next-generation device is 256 X 256 resolution elements, 100 Hz frame rate and a contrast ratio of > 100:1. We will describe the operating principles of the device, its performance characteristics, and its applications.

Citation Download Citation

Thomas N. Horsky, Craig M. Schiller, George J. Genetti, Daniel M. O'Mara, Whitney S. Hamnett, and Cardinal Warde "Electron-beam-addressed membrane light modulator for IR scene projection", Proc. SPIE 1540, Infrared Technology XVII, (1 December 1991); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.48761

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