Spatial light modulator using charge coupled device with quantum wells

DETAILED DESCRIPTION What is claimed is: 1.
An electro-optical device for providing spatial modulation of an incoming electromagnetic wave signal comprising a charge-coupled device being formed in said device and having a plurality of electrodes and a plurality of charge well regions associated with said electrodes for containing electric charges; a multiple quantum well structure being formed in said device and having a plurality of quantum well regions corresponding to the charge well regions of said charge-coupled device, said quantum well regions having dimensions such that said regions exhibit localized quantum size effects, the charges in said charge well regions of the charge-coupled device determining the value of the electric fields at said quantum well regions, and the electro-absorption effects at said quantum well regions varying in accordance with said electric fields, the intensity of an input electromagnetic wave signal directed through said electro-optical device thereby being spatially modulated by the electro-absorption effects at said quantum well regions of said multiple quantum well structure.
2.
An electro-optical device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said charge-coupled device is a quantum well, charged-coupled device comprising a plurality of electrodes; and a plurality of charge wells associated with said electrodes, said charge wells being formed as quantum well regions.
3.
An electro-optical device in accordance with claim 2 wherein the quantum well regions of said charge-coupled device are formed by alternating layers of materials having dissimilar energy characteristics, at least one of said layers acting as a source of electric charges for said quantum well regions.
4.
An electro-optical device in accordance with claim 3 wherein said materials comprise at least one layer of GaAs and at least one layer of n-AlGaAs acting as a source of said electric charges.
5.
An electro-optical device in accordance with claim 3 wherein said materials comprise at least one layer of GaAs and at least one layer of n-InGaAs acting as a source of said electric charge