Harmonic and intermodulation distortion from spatial light modulators.

The nonlinear amplitude transmittance or amplitude reflectance-to-writing light level dependence of a spatial light modulator (SLM) introduces distortions in the output response. The resulting harmonic and intermodulation distortion levels are computed for a representative SLM at several write light illumination levels. The presence of these distortions in the diffraction pattern of an image is also illustrated experimentally. The need for the technical community to quantify these distortions in a universal manner is stressed.