Real time incoherent to coherent optical converter

The purpose of this work was to fabricate and demonstrate a real time incoherent to coherent optical converter. This device has applications in real-time coherent optical image processing systems. Briefly, it utilizes the natural photoconductivity effect to spacially modulate the electrical polarization in the single crystalline electro-optic material, Bi12SiO20. An optically absorbed write-in image is stored as an image-wise polarization pattern in the device. Readout is accomplished electro-optically by means of the subsequent phase retardation which a polarized beam of coherent light undergoes in passing through the Bi12SiO20.