DLPA037A June   2013  – August 2025 DLP500YX , DLP5500 , DLP6500FLQ , DLP6500FYE , DLP650LNIR , DLP670S , DLP7000 , DLP7000UV , DLP9000 , DLP9000X , DLP9000XUV , DLP9500 , DLP9500UV

 

  1.   1
  2.   Abstract
  3.   Trademarks
  4. 1Introduction
  5. 2Understanding Diffraction – An Intuitive View
    1. 2.1 Single Slit Diffraction
    2. 2.2 Multiple Slit Diffraction
    3. 2.3 Reflective Diffraction Gratings
    4. 2.4 Extending to Two Dimensional Gratings
    5. 2.5 The DLP© DMD as a Two Dimensional Grating
    6. 2.6 Blaze Formulas
  6. 3Advantages and Considerations
  7. 4Conclusion
  8. 5References
  9. 6Revision History

1 Introduction

The DLP® Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) has long been used in video projection systems for commercial and consumer applications. The DMD is also an attractive Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) for applications that can use monochromatic or coherent light sources both inside and outside of the visible spectrum.

The DMD presents some unique advantages and considerations that must be understood for these applications particularly when using coherent or semi-coherent sources with the DMD. When used with such sources the fact that the DMD is a 2D array of periodically spaced mirrors cannot be ignored, rather the diffractive effects can be understood and even exploited.

The purpose of this paper is to present an intuitive understanding of the 2D diffraction properties of the DMD and the advantages and challenges that result.