Support & FAQ's

Are the drivers easy to install?
Yes, our driver consists of a standard PCI card and software, which can be easily added to your computer.

Are you a small business?
Yes

At what wavelengths do your SLMs operate?
All of our devices are optimized for a center wavelength between 400 nm - 1600 nm.

Can I get a price list?
All of our standard products require selections such as: liquid crystal material, wavelength optimization, phase stroke, etc. Please call us to determine which product will work best for your application and we'll gladly offer pricing immediately.

Do you accept credit cards?
We are in the process of setting up this option for our customers. Please call us for more information.

Do you offer loaner devices?
While we do not offer loaner devices, our Sales department is happy to help you determine the suitability of our product for your application before you purchase. We have extensive documentation and references available to ensure you will be able to make a well-informed purchase decision.

Do you offer transmissive or reflective SLMs?
Our devices are built on a silicon backplane making them reflective devices.

Do you offer university discounts?
Universities are one of our primary markets for SLMs; therefore, we do not extend discounts. Discounts for our products are only available if more than one unit is purchased.

How can I find a local sales representative in my area?
Check our Representation page or call us toll free at 1.866.466.0506

How do I know if I need a FLC or NLC device?
It depends on the type of modulation you require the SLM to perform. As a general rule, FLC performs amplitude modulation; NLC performs phase modulation.

How fast can I transfer data to the SLM?
The standard "new image" data rate is 2Gbits/second or an image rate of 1015Hz from on-board memory. Data is transferred to the SLM at the rate of 12Gbits/second or an image transfer rate of 6.1 KHz. Much of this bandwidth is used to provide DC balancing information to the SLM and to drive the liquid crystal response properly.

How quickly can new frames of memory be loaded from an external computer into the on-board memory?
This depends on the process. If you are loading the images individually through the PCI bus on the computer to the SLM, then the speed is about 70 Hz. But, if you can preload all of the images to the driver board memory , and from there to the SLM, then the response time us much faster - up to 1015 Hz. The driver board has the ability to store 1024 preloaded images.

I've heard your devices need to be DC balanced. What does this mean?
DC balancing is a technique used to improve the lifetime of liquid crystal devices. All liquid crystal devices have the property that, over time, an unbalanced (non-DC) electrical signal will destroy the device. To avoid this, all liquid crystal devices are driven with a signal that provides an equal but opposite negative signal for every positive signal. The BNS drive electronics automatically DC-balance the SLMs to prevent unintentional damage. This is controlled at the hardware level and cannot be modified either intentionally or unintentionally through software commands.

What computer operating systems do you support?
Windows 98, 2000 and XP.

What does zero-order diffraction efficiency mean?
Because our SLMs are a pixellated device, there will be some diffractive scatter. Depending on the optical design of your system, some of the scattered light may not be useable. For example, higher orders may be scattered out of the field of view of the optical system. For planning purposes you can use the zero-order light.

What is the response time of the SLM?
A FLC SLM will have a response time of no more than 428 microseconds. A NLC SLM response time will vary considerably depending on the wavelength and total phase stroke. A typical NLC SLM designed for a 2 pi phase stroke in the green wavelenth region will have a response time of no more than 15 milliseconds. Longer wavelengths and longer phase strokes will result in longer response times.

What is the threshold for power damage on your SLMs?
An unenclosed SLM can handle about 3.25W/cm2 (continuous power) without active cooling. Peak power is much higher at 3.5 MWatts/cm2.

What is your standard delivery time?
Our standard deliveries are ranging from 3 - 5 weeks.

What is your standard warranty?
90 days with extended warranties available. Please ask your sales representative for more information.

Will you be at a show in my area?
Please see the News & Events section of our website at http://www.bouldernonlinear.com/news.htm