Circular Dammann grating

A circular Dammann grating that can produce circular equal intensities at various orders in the far field is described. A set of parameters such as order, circular number, uniformity, and diffraction efficiency has been defined to describe the novel diffractive phase elements. Numerical solutions of binary-phase (0, pi) circular Dammann gratings are given. The results of experiments with a four-order circular Dammann grating made by a lithographic technique are presented. This novel diffractive optical element should be highly interesting in a wide variety of practical applications.     

Extending the detection range of optical vortices by Dammann vortex gratings

We report a 2D static binary phase Dammann vortex grating that combines the features of a conventional vortex grating and a Dammann grating. This grating uniformly distributes energies among the diffraction orders, so the low-efficiency problem at higher diffraction orders of conventional vortex gratings is resolved and the detection range of the optical vortices (OVs) is greatly increased. Experimental results of OV detection using a fabricated 5×5 Dammann vortex grating are given, and the topological charge detection range from -12 to +12 is achieved. The potential applications of such gratings include transmitting, receiving, and multiplexing OV beams in optical communication systems.     

Modal Analysis of the Quasi-Optical Performance of Phase Gratings

This paper is concerned with the analysis of phase gratings as passive quasi-optical multiplexing devices. One important application of such components is in the local oscillator injection chain of heterodyne array receivers. Gaussian beam mode analysis can be applied as a powerful tool when modelling the optical performance of phase gratings in a real submillimeter system of finite throughput and bandwidth. In our experimental investigations we have concentrated on the Dammann Grating (DG) which is a binary optical component and thus straightforward to manufacture. A number of quartz gratings were fabricated and carefully tested to evaluate the practical limitations of such quasi-optical components. Because of its convenient refractive index quartz can be used to produce gratings with very low reflection losses. The results presented confirm DGs to be particularly suitable multiplexers for sparse arrays of finite bandwidth.     

On the design of Dammann gratings

In recent years the design of Dammann gratings for the application as array illuminators has been widely discussed. Important progress has been made. However, some problems concerning the control of design algorithms remain to be solved. It is shown how design theory of diffractive elements can be used to avoid these difficulties and to formulate a straightforward design method to obtain Dammann gratings optimized in diffraction efficiency and uniformity.     

Inverse symmetric Dammann gratings

Inverse symmetric Dammann grating is a special grating, whose transition points are reflection symmetric about the midpoint with inverse phase offset in one period. It can produce even-numbered or odd-numbered array illumination when the phase modulations are π or a specific value. Numerical solutions optimized by the steepest-descent algorithm for binary phase and multilevel phases with splitting ratio from 1 × 4 to 1 × 14 are given. Fabrication of 1 × 6 array without the zero-order intensity and 1 × 7 array with the zero-order intensity are made from the same amplitude mask. A 6 × 6 output without the crossed zero-orders was achieved by crossing two one-dimensional 1 × 6 inverse symmetric Dammann gratings. This grating may have potential value for practical applications.     

高衍射效率亚波长结构Dammann光栅的设计

传统的Dammann光栅是基于标量衍射理论设计的二值相位等光强分束器件，其衍射效率的典型值为80%左右.基于严格耦合波分析理论和遗传算法，提出了一种设计亚波长结构Dammann光栅的新方法，且该新型二值相位光栅具有较高的衍射效率.同时利用自编的仿真程序包设计了多个光栅，并分析了制作误差对其衍射效率和光强均匀性的影响.仿真结果表明，用该方法所设计的Dammann光栅的衍射效率超过92%.     

Dammann gratings as integratable micro-optical elements created by laser micronanofabrication via two-photon photopolymerization

Dammann gratings, as beam splitters and coherent signal generators, were produced in a short fabricating cycle by femtosecond laser fabrication via two-photon photopolymerization. These holograms that each generated 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, and 6x6 spot sources in the fan-out demonstrated diffraction efficiency of 36%, 25%, 29%, 52%, and 49%, respectively, comparable with the theoretical values. This work shows the promising prospect of femtosecond laser fabrication in compatibly manufacturing various micro-optical devices including Dammann gratings and their integrated systems.     

利用衍射光栅探测涡旋光束轨道角动量态的研究进展

涡旋光束是一种携带有轨道角动量的光束,在光学扳手、光通信、旋转探测等领域具有重要的应用价值.由于轨道角动量态是涡旋光束的特征值,因此如何探测光束的轨道角动量态分布至关重要.国内外学者已经提出了多种探测涡旋光束的技术,如干涉法、衍射光栅法、多普勒分析法、超材料表面法等.这些技术中,衍射光栅测量法较为简单易行,应用较广.本综述主要介绍了几种当前利用衍射光栅测量涡旋光束轨道角动量态的主流方法,同时也介绍了如何利用衍射光栅来测量光束的轨道角动量谱.     

Diffractive Optical Elements for Dynamic Optical Coupling

Diffractive optical elements such as the complementary Dammann gratings are incorporated for dynamic optical fiber splitting and combining. Experimental results of 1′8 dynamic optical couplings are presented.     

Replicated data-matrix array generators

The fabrication and replication of binary spot array generators using 4 and 16 levels gratings is investigated. The elements are designed using iterative Fourier transform algorithm and fabricated by electron-beam lithography. Finally elements are copied by fabricating nickel shims and using hot embossing technique. In each step the optical signals are measured and signals are characterized using bit error rate as a measure of quality. The results show that although 16 level element gives theoretically superior performance, the bit error rate is much lower (∼0.2%) for replicated 4 level elements than for their 16 level counterparts (∼9%).     

Design of a circular Dammann grating

A novel circular Dammann grating is proposed to generate uniform-intensity impulse rings corresponding to different diffraction orders in the far field. The intensities of the rings are determined by the coefficients of the circular sine series decomposition of the grating function. The definition of diffraction efficiency and uniformity for this novel device are described. Numerical solutions of binary phase circular Dammann gratings are presented. A binary phase three-order circular Dammann grating of pi phase depth is fabricated by an e-beam direct writing technique and is experimentally demonstrated.     

Computer-generated holographic optical elements produced by photolithography

We report the creation of novel computer-generated holographic optical elements. The method of computing diffraction gratings producing a continuous focal pattern in the form of a line and also gratings that have N orders in a row of equal energy is described. The method has also been developed for coding the filter-complex transmittance functions in order to form and analyze the transverse modes. All the above elements are realized as glass-substrate binary-phase refractive holograms by projection photolithography by using photoreduction. The minimum line width is 2·5 mkm. These elements may also be fabricated as reflective holograms.

Phot-masks and the results of an investigation of the intensity distribution produced by the elements are presented. The investigation results confirm the synthesized elements' high quality.     

用反射式达曼光栅产生飞秒激光双脉冲

采用反射式达曼光栅建立了一种产生飞秒激光双脉冲的新装置.由于采用反射式结构，避免了材料色散和吸收导致的脉冲畸变，并构建了一台二次谐波-频率分辨光学开关装置对产生的双脉冲进行了测量.实验结果表明可以实现脉冲强度相等、时间宽度相同、不同间隔的双脉冲输出.产生双脉冲的装置在飞秒激光领域有着应用的价值. 关键词： 飞秒激光双脉冲 达曼光栅 二次谐波-频率分辨光学开关     

Design and Fabrication of Microlens Array for Near-Field Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser Parallel Optical Head

A GaP microlens for collecting laser light was developed in the tip of a near-field probe. It is important to realize a near-field optical probe head with high throughput and a small spot size. The design and fabrication results of the GaP microlens array are described. The most suitable GaP microlens with a probe was calculated as having a 10 μm radius using the two-dimensional finite difference time domain (2-D FDTD) method. The full width half maximum (FWHM) spot size variation and optical power density tolerance were calculated as 157 nm ± 5 nm and 7%, respectively. A spherical GaP microlens was fabricated with a radius of 10 μm by controlling the Cl₂/Ar gas mixture ratio. The difference between the theoretical spherical shape and the fabricated GaP microlens was evaluated as 40 nm at peak to valley. The FWHM spot size and optical throughput of the fabricated microlens were measured as 520 nm and 63%, respectively. The microlens was the same as a theoretical lens with a 10 μm radius. The micron-lens array fabrication process for a near-field optical head was demonstrated in this experiment.     

Uniform illumination by diffractive shaping of independent light beams

This article presents a new optical set-up for illumination of a common area with a few independent light sources. The main aim is to create a uniform light distribution of a constant shape even if one of the light sources will stop working. In such a case, the shape of the light distribution should remain unchanged, however, the total light intensity will be lower. The novelty of the proposed solution is based on the usage of a small number of the independent light sources in opposite to a well known LED arrays approach. The beam shaping is made using Dammann gratings and specially designed blazed phase diffractive gratings. The article contains the theoretical analysis and the computer simulation verified by the experiment.     

快速边界识别算法用于达曼光栅掩模数据生成的研究

针对达曼光栅的数据写入问题,提出了一种快速边界识别算法（FBIA）用于复杂二元光学图形掩模的CIF格式数据的生成。该算法首先识别出达曼光栅图形的边界点,然后按照左手原则对边界点进行排序并构成闭合曲线。针对闭合曲线中可能出现的“孤岛”,该算法可自动识别并依据其数量对图形重新分割取点。结果表明FBIA算法具有搜索快、效率高等优点,可广泛应用于各种二元位相型元件CIF格式掩模板数据的生成。     

Fabrication of Long-Period Fibre Gratings Using 800 nm Femtosecond Laser Pulses

Long-period fibre gratings inside standard single-mode optical communication fibres are successfully fabricated with infrared femtosecond laser pulses. The refractive index perturbations are well confined within the fibre core by choosing the proper laser focusing parameters and translation speed of the fibre during the direct laser writing process. With the self-focusing effect considered and at a constant average irradiation dose of 1.62 × 10^3 J/（cm^2μm）, the threshold intensity for fabricating long-period gratings with infrared femtosecond laser pulses is determined to be 5.13 × 10^13 W/cm2.     

A new polarimeter based on optical non-reciprocity in gratings with two-dimensional chirality

We have studied the optical transmission properties of a number of different dielectric diffraction gratings that each exhibit two-dimensional chirality in their grating elements. We have found that the diffracted beams transmitted through these structures exhibit large anisotropic polarization changes and polarization-dependent intensity modulations even though the chiral elements are arranged in square grating arrays. The strength and functional form of both of these effects differ for each diffracted beam. They are also dependent on the chirality of the surface patterning and the thickness of the patterned dielectric film. We show how these properties could be exploited to provide a new and more versatile form of polarimeter, and how the operation of such a device is inherently dependent on the optical non-reciprocity of these chiral gratings.     

Detecting the topological charge of vortex beams using an annular triangle aperture

The Fraunhofer diffraction pattern of a vortex beam by an annular triangle aperture is analyzed theoretically and experimentally. It is found that the pattern of the far-field diffraction intensity distribution exhibits a triangular lattice array, which becomes much clearer with the increase of the ratio of the inner to the outer side of the annular triangle aperture. The number of spot points of any external side of the triangular lattice array minus one is just equal to the topological charge value of the measured optical vortex. For the vortex beam with negative topological charge, the triangular diffraction pattern after the annular triangle aperture will be rotated by 180° in relation to the case of the positive topological charge. Based on the above properties, we propose a simple and feasible method to determine the magnitude and sign of the topological charge of an optical vortex beam.     

Real-time adjustment of optical transmitter by laser beam parameter measurement based on two linear array CCD scanning imaging

In this paper, we present a real-time measurement and adjustment method, based on scanning imaging, for optical transmitter which emits 90° × 2° linear laser beam. This novel optical arrangement consists of an area array CCD and two linear array CCDs. According to the relationship between the positions, angles of transmitter optical components and the beam parameters of emergent laser, the system can help us to decide the real-time adjustment of optical transmitter by measuring the related beam parameters. In order to improve the measurement speed, avoid occlusion and ensure simultaneous measurement, the two linear array CCDs are placed at near field, far field and separated by a definite angle to acquire the beam intensity distribution through suitable nonlinear correction during the process of scanning. After a complete scanning, the beam parameters and the spot image are acquired by continuous measurement. The proof-of-principle experiments showed that the measurement results were in agreement with the analysis. The presented method was applied to direct fast adjustment for higher quality on the assembly of the optical transmitter. The presented procedure is highly advantageous for diverse laser beam emitted from the optical transmitter, such as elliptic, linear and so on.