J. Eur. Opt. Society-Rapid Publ. 2026, 22, 46 Ó The Author( s), published by EDP Sciences, 2026 https:// doi. org / 10.1051 / jeos / 2026017 Available online at: https:// jeos. edpsciences. org
Journal of the European Optical Society-Rapid Publications
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Characterization of digital micromirror devices for ultrashort laser applications
Mitzi Ordoñez-Perez 1, *
, Pedro J. Clemente-Pesudo 1, 2, Francis Rey U. Cortes 1, Jesus Lancis 1, Enrique Tajahuerce 1, and G. Mínguez-Vega 1
1 GROC-UJI, Institute of New Imaging Technologies( INIT), Universitat Jaume I, 12071, Castelló, Spain 2 Servei Central d’ Instrumentació Científica( SCIC), Universitat Jaume I, Castelló, Spain
Received 24 November 2025 / Accepted 20 February 2026
Abstract. In recent years, the wide variety of digital micromirror device( DMD) applications has extended significantly across various fields of optics, including ultrafast optics. Despite these advances, the interaction between DMDs and ultrashort pulses remains poorly understood. To address this gap, this study presents a comprehensive characterization of the behaviour of a DMD system when interacting with ultrashort laser pulses. In this work, the fluence threshold for multi-shot damage was first determined to be 0.12 J / cm 2. Regarding the temporal effects, the group delay dispersion( GDD) of intrinsic materials was experimentally measured for the zeroth order and was determined to be 190 fs 2. The temporal dispersion introduced by the DMD was then theoretically quantified for higher diffraction orders, showing that it generates a broadening and a spatiotemporal shift that depend on the diffraction order. Concerning spatial effects, the lateral chromatic aberration for a broad wavelength range was analysed, revealing the spatial separation of different wavelength components due to the wavelength dependence of the order of diffraction. Finally, the capability of the DMD to analyse the intensity spatial distribution of the light beam was demonstrated using a single-pixel imaging technique. These findings contribute to the understanding of the effects resulting from the interaction of ultrashort pulses with the DMD, thereby facilitating applications.
Keywords: DMD characterisation, Femtosecond lasers, Single-pixel imaging.
1 Introduction
Controllingthespatialbeamprofile of a laser using spatial light modulators( SLMs) has become increasingly important in the field of ultrafast lasers due to the numerous advantages it provides. SLMs enable the development of advanced technologies such as digital lasers, which provide on-demand laser modes [ 1 ], as well as beam profilers [ 2 ], wavefront sensors [ 3, 4 ], temporal pulse shapers [ 5, 6 ] or delay lines [ 7 ] that can reduce costs and enhance the performance and or versatility of conventional systems. Additionally, precise beam control provided by SLMs opens new avenues for scientific exploration, including innovations in laser processing [ 8, 9 ], attosecond physics [ 10 ], generation of the non-linear effects [ 11, 12 ], optical communications [ 13 ], and other emerging applications [ 14, 15 ]. SLMs can be broadly categorised into liquid crystal displays( LCDs) [ 16 ], deformable mirrors [ 17, 18 ] and lenses [ 19 ], as well as digital micromirror devices( DMDs), each exhibiting distinct advantages and certain limitations. For example,
* Corresponding author: ordonezm @ uji. es
LCDs provide precise control over phase, amplitude, and polarization across approximately one million pixels, with a wavefront depth resolution of 8 – 12 bits. However, their operating speed is limited, with refresh rates typically ranging from tens to hundreds of hertz. On the other hand, deformable mirrors and lenses are capable of handling higher refresh rates in the kilohertz range compared to LCDs. Due to their low number of actuators( typically 1 to 200), they possess limited spatial precision which makes them suitable primarily for correcting optical aberrations.
Moreover, DMDs combine high spatial resolution in the range of millions of pixels and exceptional speed with refresh rates of several kilohertz. Although they are binary amplitude modulators with limited depth precision and diffraction efficiency, DMDs excel in cost-effectiveness, ease of use, and beam-shaping fidelity compared to LCDs [ 20 ]. Thus, DMDs are an ideal choice for ultrafast laser applications, where speed, precision, and robustness play crucial roles.
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of improvements in ultrashort pulse technologies based on DMD performance, for example, in nanomachining [ 21 ],
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