Development and applications of the microchannel spatial light modulator

The optically-addressed microchannel spatial light modulator (MSLM) is a versatile, real-time optical signal- and image-processing device that exhibits high optical sensitivity and high framing speed. It consists of a photocathode and a microchannel plate in proximity focus with an electro-optic crystal plate. A planar electron acceleration grid is often placed between the MCP and the electro-optic plate. The electro-optic plate carries a high-resistivity dielectric mirror on one side and a transparent conducting electrode on the other. The fundamental operating characteristics and materials limitations of the device are discussed. The role of secondary electron emission in the operation of the device is stressed and some of the write, cycling, and readout modes and their limitations are described. In addition, the limitations of the inherent space-domain image-processing operations of the device are discussed. In the final section, the report summarizes some of the key results on the application of the MSLM to the problem of high resolution, all-optical, adaptive wavefront phase compensation for communication and imaging through the Earth's atmosphere.