A reproducing apparatus which reproduces a charge latent image recorded in a recording medium. The apparatus has an electromagnetic radiation source, an optical system for leading an electromagnetic radiation ray emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source in a direction toward a recording medium on which an object information to be read is prerecorded as a charge latent image, and a read head arranged closely facing to the recording medium and arranged in series in a travelling path of the electromagnetic radiation ray. The read head is of a multilayer structure comprising a support base plate, a photo modulation material layer for generating a mode modulation of said electromagnetic radiation ray which passes the photo modulation material layer therethrough in response to intensity of an electric field by said charge latent image, and an electrode for applying a predetermined electric field to said photo modulation layer, and for allowing to receive the electromagnetic radiation ray in a read wavelength range and transmit thereof to the photo modulation layer, an output surface facing to a processor for emitting thereto the electromagnetic ray having passed through the electrode and the photo modulation layer, said processor processing the electromagnetic ray modulated by going through the photo modulation material layer and outputted from the output surface.

This invention pertains to a basic multi-technology application of cascaded beam-formers. A dual MEMS-EO technology platform method involving a two axis deflection micro-mirror cascaded with a three dimensional electro-optical beam-former such as a multi pixel liquid crystal device forms a powerful reflective control site for an incident beam, thereby inherently providing a robust beam control with both coarse and fine beam control capabilities in three dimensions. The electrically controlled two axis micro-mirror is excellent in providing the large angular beam deflections, while the liquid crystal device provides excellent small-beam deflections. This leads to a mechanically robust beam control module. A multipixel MEMS mirror device option coupled with the EO device can also provide simultaneous multi-beam generation capability. Furthermore, use of macro-pixels for both the MEMS and EO devices provides resistance to single pixel dependent catastrophic failure for the overall module. The mirror two-axis control can be supplemented with additional translational mirror motion, giving the ultimate option of cascading two 3-D beam-formers.

An optical exposure system for a color video printer, comprising a microprocessor for controlling optical exposure for R, G and B video signals, a memory device for storing the R, G and B video signals by the frame, a drive control device for inputting R, G and B video data from the memory device and outputting signal voltages and gate voltages of fixed levels as drive control signals for optical exposure of a photosensitive medium, and a LCD panel for performing the optical exposure of the photosensitive medium in response to the drive control signals from the drive control device. The gradation number of exposure amount is determined by fixing levels of the signal voltages to fix transmitivities of R, G and B liquid crystal elements and determining the number of exposure times by R, G and B pixels to be proportioned respectively to the R, G and B data values. Therefore, gradations of colors to be printed by the color video printer can be increased in number so that sensitivity differences among R, G and B colors can be compensated for and visually-natural colors can be reemerged.

A reconfigurable optical interleaver/deinterleaver device combines/separates a pair of optical input signals from and/or to an optical WDM input signal. The interleaver device includes a spatial light modulator having a micro-mirror device with a two-dimensional array of micro-mirrors that flip between first and second positions in a "digital" fashion in response to a control signal provided by a controller in accordance with a switching algorithm and an input command. A pair of collimators, diffraction gratings and Fourier lens collectively collimate, separate and focus the optical input channels and optical add channels onto the array of micro-mirrors. Each optical channel is focused on a plurality of micro-mirrors of the micro-mirror device, which effectively pixelates the optical channels.

A reconfigurable multifunctional optical device has an optical arrangement for receiving an optical signal, each having optical bands or channels, and a spatial light modulator for reflecting the at least one optical signal provided thereon. The optical arrangement features a free optics configuration with a light dispersion element for spreading each optical signal into one or more respective optical bands or channels for performing separate optical functions on each optical signal. The spatial light modulator includes a micro-mirror device with an array of micro-mirrors, and the respective optical bands or channels reflect off respective micro-mirrors. The free optics configuration includes a common set of optical components for performing each separate optical function on each optical signal. The separate optical functions reflect off separate non-overlapping areas on the spatial light modulator. The separate optical functions include optical switching, conditioning or monitoring functions.