LETO-3 | Phase Only Spatial Light Modulator

LETO-3 Spatial Light Modulator: High-Performance Reflective LCOS Display

The LETO-3 Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) is a reflective Liquid Crystal On Silicon (LCOS) microdisplay boasting Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution. Its compact 6.4 µm pixel pitch and minimal 0.2 µm interpixel gap result in an impressive 93% fill factor.

This SLM delivers a reflectivity ranging from 62% to 75%, varying with wavelength and specific model. It achieves a diffraction efficiency exceeding 80% (with a 16-level blazed grating), contributing to an overall light efficiency of approximately 60%.

The LETO-3 SLM’s driver supports color-field-sequential (CFS) operation, making it ideal for use with color-switchable laser or LED illumination. A dedicated LED connector allows for synchronization between the light source and the device. The driver includes four pre-configured CFS settings for diverse applications, easily selectable via the Configuration Manager Software.

 

Available Versions

HOLOEYE provides three distinct LETO-3 SLM versions, each tailored for optimal performance in different wavelength ranges or applications:

• Visible Range Optimized: Designed for general use within the visible spectrum.
• Near-Infrared (NIR) Optimized: Suited for applications up to 1100 nm.
• Fast Response CFS: Optimized for rapid response times (180 Hz) and color-field-sequential operation in the visible range with RGB lasers.

 

LETO-3 Spatial Light Modulator Applications

• Higher Order Modes / Optical Vortex / OAM: This includes applications in spin-engineered 3D optical manipulation, dynamically adjustable astigmatic transformations for OAM mode identification under atmospheric turbulence, and exploring the limits of vortices in beam arrays for enhanced auto-focusing.
• Optical Trapping / -Tweezers: Used in conjunction with higher order modes for precise optical manipulation.
• Polarization Generation: Applied in spin-engineered 3D optical manipulation.
• Microscopy: Specifically for sidelobe-free deterministic 3D nanoscopy with high axial resolution.
• Adaptive Optics / Wavefront Control: Used in studying chromatic imaging properties, such as in myopia control spectacle lenses.
• Imaging/ Image Processing: Also related to the study of chromatic imaging properties of myopia control spectacle lenses.
• Optical Communication: Applied in dynamically adjustable astigmatic transformations for OAM mode identification and in optimizing vortex beams for auto-focusing.
• Beam Shaping / Beam Steering: Used in generating various beam types like Bessel and Airy beams, as well as higher order modes.
• Deep Learning / Neuronal Network: Applied in dynamic quantitative phase imaging using deep spatial-temporal prior.

LETO-3 Datasheet

HOLOEYE Spatial Light Modulator Catalog

LETO-3

LETO-3 (curved flex cable)

LET)-3 Display

Publications featuring LETO-3

• Zheng Yuan, Yuan Gao, Wenxiang Yan, Zhiming Qing, Zhi-Cheng Ren, Xi-Lin Wang, Jianping Ding, and Hui-Tian Wang, “Spin-engineered 3D optical manipulation via polarization-gradient architecturing,” Optica 12, 853-859 (2025)
• Pan, B., Wang, B., Ni, Y. et al. Sidelobe-free deterministic 3D nanoscopy with λ/33 axial resolution. Light Sci Appl 14, 168 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01833-x
• Oliver J. Licht, Caleb Rohn, and R. Krishna Mohan, “Dynamically adjustable astigmatic transformations for OAM mode identification under atmospheric turbulence,” Opt. Express 33, 13040-13058 (2025)
• Augusto Arias, Susanna P. Clement, Pablo Artal, and Siegfried Wahl, “Chromatic imaging properties of myopia control spectacle lenses,” Biomed. Opt. Express 16, 1499-1512 (2025)
• Siteng Li, Fei Wang, Zhenfeng Fu, Yaoming Bian, and Guohai Situ, “Dynamic quantitative phase imaging using deep spatial-temporal prior,” Opt. Express 33, 7482-7491 (2025)

Application Note

• CFS phase modulating LCOS SLMs for holographic reconstruction in visual systems using a multi-color laser module

LETO-3 Software

The LETO phase-only modulator devices are designed for straightforward operation. You can control them just like an external display by connecting to your computer’s standard HDMI interface through the graphics card. This means no extra software or dedicated hardware is required to get your SLM up and running.

For advanced configurations, each LCOS SLM comes with a GUI-based Configuration Manager software. This tool lets you fine-tune settings such as geometrical adjustments, brightness, and contrast. You can also modify the electro-optical response by applying a new gamma curve or a different digital drive scheme. These advanced calibrations are performed via a USB interface.

To further enhance your experience, the SLM includes a HOLOEYE SLM Pattern Generator software. This powerful application allows for:

• Computation of computer-generated holograms (CGH) from your own images.
• Generation of SLM signals that represent fundamental optical functions like lenses, gratings, axicons, and vortex functions.
• Superposition of CGHs with basic optical functions to combine various functionalities.

Additionally, a special SLM Slideshow Player software is provided with the device. For developers, an SLM Display SDK is available for download. This SDK offers APIs (Application Programming Interface) that enable you to directly display images and data/phase arrays on your HOLOEYE Spatial Light Modulator using various programming languages, including:

• National Instruments LabVIEW™ 8.6 and later
• MathWorks MATLAB® R2009b and later
• Octave 5.2
• Python™ 2.7 and 3.x
• C or C++ compiler (e.g., Microsoft Visual C++ Compiler)

LETO-3 SLM Scope of Supply

• Phase only display incl. flex cable
• Driver unit
• Device mount
• Display mount
• Power supply + cable
• USB/mini USB cable
• HDMI cable
• (CFS-light source sync cable) – optional for CFS version
• Safety instructions & quick start guide (test polarizer inside)
• USB flash drive with software package and documentation