Digitally Tunable Color Filters and Beam Scanners

Color-filtering and beam-scanning devices based on electro-optical switching of internal-reflection states have been proposed for use in display and measurement applications. Associated digital circuits would apply electronic control signals to spatial segments of these devices to obtain discontinuous spatial and/or spectral displacements of reflected and/or transmitted light beams. If this description seems a little too general, it is because the basic device concept is rather general; it could be implemented in numerous different optical and electronic configurations.