Fast liquid crystal adaptive mirror for wavefront correction

Michael H. Anderson; Loren Max Caldwell Jr.; Craig R. Scheffler

doi:10.1117/12.367601

3 November 1999 Fast liquid crystal adaptive mirror for wavefront correction

Michael H. Anderson, Loren Max Caldwell Jr., Craig R. Scheffler

Proceedings Volume 3760, High-Resolution Wavefront Control: Methods, Devices, and Applications; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.367601
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1999, Denver, CO, United States

Abstract

We have designed and constructed a prototype adaptive mirror using a nematic liquid crystal as the optical phase modulating material. The mirror has 127 hexagonal elements (actuators) in a 12 mm diameter clear aperture. The liquid crystal is a dual-frequency type that can be driven both parallel to, and orthogonal to, the external driving field by changing the drive frequency. With the dual-frequency liquid crystal we have achieved 1 micron of optical phase delay with full-cycle switching times of 6 ms. The electronic driver was designed to interface with an IBM compatible PC.

Citation Download Citation

Michael H. Anderson, Loren Max Caldwell Jr., and Craig R. Scheffler "Fast liquid crystal adaptive mirror for wavefront correction", Proc. SPIE 3760, High-Resolution Wavefront Control: Methods, Devices, and Applications, (3 November 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.367601

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available