A deformable mirror element with a high natural frequency has elongate
ribbons attached along a longitudinal portion thereof to a support. The
ribbon is transversely slit to divide each ribbon into at least two
individual wing portions. The wing portions extend laterally from the
support and are capable of deforming in response to a force applied to the
wing. The deformable mirror element is used in a light valve for
modulating one or more beams of incident light. The high natural frequency
of the element ensures that the light valve is useful in applications
requiring fast response time.
