High-Precision Correction for Spatial Light Modulator Based on Quadriwave Lateral Shearing Interferometry

Because the modulation accuracy and precision of liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) are strongly influenced by difference in operation conditions and the manufacturing errors of spatial light modulator, it is an essential procedure to measure and calibrate its phase modulation characteristics such as phase errors and nonlinear compensation quality. In this letter, we propose a novel method based on Quadriwave lateral shearing interferometry to obtain these phase modulation characteristics for LC-SLM, which in theory presents obvious advantages over conventional methods such as high precision, excellent noise immunity, and the requirement of only one interferogram during reconstructing modulation phase. The validity of our proposed method has been verified by comparing the experimental results with those obtained from Twyman-Green Interferometry and Optical Power interferometry.