<title>Programmable array microscope demonstrator: application of a ferroelectric liquid crystal SLM</title>

We describe a Programmable Array Microscope (PAM) system which is implemented using a single Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Spatial Light Modulator in a double pass configuration. The SLM array is placed such that it is in both the source and detector planes of a confocal microscope. The pixels of the SLM are arranged to form an aperture array similar to the type found in confocal direct- view microscopes (DVMs). Among the advantages of the PAM system over DVM systems are a lack of moving parts, and complete control over the aperture function. We present optical sectioning curves taken using scanned grids of square apertures of varying number and spacing, showing how these parameters affect the confocal behavior. In particular, we demonstrate the effect which the finite contrast ratio of the SLM pixels has on the optical sectioning curve and introduce a simple theory which explains this effect. Finally, we show confocal images captured from test samples using the PAM system.