Research on the Factors Affecting the Stability of Amplitude-Type Optically Addressed Spatial Light Modulators

As a key optical field modulation component in high-power laser systems, the amplitude-type optically addressed spatial light modulator (OASLM) plays a critical role in determining the overall system performance and reliability. In this research, we systematically investigate the stability characteristics and jitter suppression mechanisms of OASLMs through comprehensive experiments and numerical simulations. The results reveal that although different models of electrically addressed liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) modulators exhibit significant variations in jitter—reaching up to 67.64%—the jitter of the readout beam can be effectively suppressed to below 2% after modulation by the OASLM. Furthermore, the device demonstrates highly consistent and robust stability in the saturation regime. Analysis based on the addressing light modulation chain indicates that pixel aggregation and temporal low-pass filtering substantially attenuate jitter transmission, while the electro-optic saturation response of the liquid crystal layer under a high electric field further reduces the system’s sensitivity to external perturbations. These findings provide both theoretical guidance and experimental support for the design and optimization of high-stability OASLMs, offering valuable insights for advanced photonic applications such as inertial confinement fusion and high-resolution imaging.