Speckle suppression in projection displays by using a motionless changing diffuser

Abstract

Speckle suppression in projection displays with a laser light source can be achieved by imaging a changing diffuser with random phase cells onto the screen. Theoretical expressions for the speckle contrast in this method have been earlier obtained in the case when different realizations of the phase diffuser produced statistically independent patterns of the light field on the screen. In the present paper, these expressions are generalized in the case when different realizations of the phase diffuser produce partly correlated speckle patterns. The possible structure of a motionless changing diffuser is presented. It includes a dynamic diffractive optical element (DDOE) and a light homogenizer. The DDOE can be based on the electrically controlled spatial light modulator (SLM) with a deformable polymer layer. This type of SLM can handle high light power and, therefore, can be used in projection displays with powerful laser beams.