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Thorlabs Introduces Exulus® Reflective Two-Dimensional Spatial Light Modulator

Newton, NJ – November 4, 2016 – Thorlabs has announced the release of its EXULUS-HD1, reflective two-dimensional spatial light modulator (SLM) based on liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) technology. The Exulus® SLM provides high-resolution, high-speed phase modulation with minimal fluctuations, making it ideal for use in a wide range of applications such as optical trapping, beam steering and shaping, femtosecond pulse shaping, adaptive optics, display and imaging, and holography.
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Figure 1. The EXULUS-HD1 SLM is provided with a magnetic cover; when in use, the cover can be attached to either side of the housing as shown here.


The EXULUS-HD1 includes a built-in SLM panel with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 6.4 µm pixel pitch, 93% fill factor and a 12.5 mm x 7.1 mm active area. With operation from 400 nm to 850 nm, it offers a phase stroke of 2p at 633 nm (standard mode) and 5.7p at 532 nm (extended mode). The EXULUS-HD1 is driven by a standard digital video interface (HDMI) signal and provides a refresh rate of 60 Hz in standard mode and 180 Hz in the frame boost mode. The industry-leading configuration parameters and easy-to-use software interface facilitate the outstanding performance of diversified applications ranging from stand-alone functions to integrated research-grade systems.

The EXULUS-HD1 is bundled with a software graphical user interface (GUI) that provides complete control over the device and supports different driving modes including full frame, image input, video input, Fresnel lens, diffraction, and computer-generated holography (CGH). The CGH mode also allows tilting and focusing effects to be superimposed onto a pattern to achieve combined functionalities.
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Figure 2. The computer-generated holography (CGH) pattern generated by the Exulus® software based on a user-supplied image.


The built-in SLM panel provides independent horizontal and vertical tilt adjustment of ±3.2°. Highly flexible customized versions of the Exulus® with the panel separated from the control unit are also available upon request. In addition, the 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) version will be released late 2016.

The Exulus® SLM is founded on Thorlabs’ liquid crystal (LC) capabilities and years of R&D experience, providing users with high-quality LC products and all-around technical support. With the expansion of R&D and production capacity, new LC product lines are in development. A complete collection of the LC products can be found at www.thorlabs.com/LiquidCrystal.

For additional details on the Exulus® Reflective Two-Dimensional Spatial Light Modulator, please visit www.thorlabs.com/SLM.


About Thorlabs: Thorlabs, a vertically integrated photonics products manufacturer, was founded in 1989 to serve the laser and electro-optics research market. As that market has spawned a multitude of technical innovations, Thorlabs has extended its core competencies in an effort to play an ever increasing role serving the Photonics Industry at the research end, as well as the industrial, life science, medical, and defense segments. The organization’s highly integrated and diverse manufacturing assets include semiconductor fabrication of laser diodes, optical amplifiers, lithium niobate modulators, quantum cacscade/interband cascade lasers, and VCSEL lasers; fiber towers for drawing both silica and fluoride glass optical fibers; MBE/MOCVD epitaxial wafer growth reactors; extensive glass and metal fabrication facilities; advanced thin film deposition capabilities; and optomechanical and optoelectronic shops.