3.3: Invited Paper: Twenty Megapixel MEMS‐based Laser Projector

Abstract

AbstractA twenty megapixel projection display system takes advantage of a micro electro‐mechanical systems (MEMS) based grating light modulator (GLM). In a GLM a laser beam is diffracted by an array of thousands of closely spaced parallel ribbons that simultaneously “paint” an entire column of pixels. The grating light modulator contains only a single column of microscopic ribbons because each pixel can be switched in as little as 100 nanoseconds. This leaves more than enough time to scan the column across a wide image. The present system consists of a linear array of 4096 pixels scanned to produce a projected image 4096 by 5120 pixels in size. Red, green, and blue fiber lasers, using nonlinear optical frequency conversion, provide about 10 watts per color enabling full color video projection onto large screens. A number of these systems have been delivered to planetarium and flight simulator customers.