This invention is a novel approach to address the problem of unmodulated reflections in spatial light modulators (SLMs) that incorporates a perfect omnidirectional light absorber in the non-electrode areas of the SLM. The absorber is designed to be effective over a wide wavelength range, ensuring that any light incident on these regions is absorbed rather than reflected. As a result, the reflected light from the SLM consists solely of the modulated components, including both directly reflected modulated light and modulated diffracted orders. This approach significantly enhances the performance of SLMs by eliminating unmodulated reflections, thereby improving contrast and efficiency. Additionally, the use of an omnidirectional absorber allows for greater flexibility in the system design, as the SLM can be used effectively at various incidence angles without the need for additional optical components. Background: Spatial light modulators are devices used to control the phase, amplitude, or polarization of light in spatially varying patterns. They have various applications in optics, including holography, optical trapping, and adaptive optics. One challenge with SLMs is the presence of unmodulated reflections, particularly from areas of the SLM that lack electrodes. These reflections can negatively impact system performance by reducing efficiency, contrast, and integration capabilities with other optical components. Current solutions to this issue include the use of blaze gratings to direct light into specific diffracted orders and the employment of polarizing beam splitters to separate modulated from unmodulated light based on polarization changes. However, these approaches can add complexity, cost, and limitations to the optical system design. Applications:
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