Dual-wavelength operation diffractive phase elements for pattern formation

Holographic colour prints for enhanced optical security by combined phase and amplitude control

Conventional optical security devices provide authentication by manipulating a specific property of light to produce a distinctive optical signature. For instance, microscopic colour prints modulate the amplitude, whereas holograms typically modulate the phase of light. However, their relatively simple structure and behaviour is easily imitated. We designed a pixel that overlays a structural colour element onto a phase plate to control both the phase and amplitude of light, and arrayed these pixels into monolithic prints that exhibit complex behaviour. Our fabricated prints appear as colour images under white light, while projecting up to three different holograms under red, green, or blue laser illumination. These holographic colour prints are readily verified but challenging to emulate, and can provide enhanced security in anti-counterfeiting applications. As the prints encode information only in the surface relief of a single polymeric material, nanoscale 3D printing of customised masters may enable their mass-manufacture by nanoimprint lithography.

Here, the authors fabricate a device that integrates multiple computer-generated holograms into a single colour print. Under white light, a colour image is seen, whereas illumination with a red, green, or blue beam from a handheld laser pointer projects three different holograms onto a distant screen.

Colored point spread function engineering for parallel confocal microscopy

Using the color selectivity of a spatial light modulator (SLM) for both, tailoring the excitation beam at one wavelength, and multiplexing the image at the red-shifted fluorescence wavelength, it is possible to parallelize confocal microscopy, i.e. to simultaneously detect an axial stack (z-stack) of a sample. For this purpose, two diffractive patterns, one steering the excitation light, and the other manipulating the emission light, are combined within the same area of the SLM, which acts as a pure phase modulator. A recently demonstrated technique allows one to combine the patterns with high diffraction efficiency and low crosstalk, using the extended phase shifting capability of the SLM, which covers multiples of 2π at the respective wavelengths. For a first demonstration we compare standard confocal imaging with simultaneous image acquisition in two separate sample planes, which shows comparable results.

Design and fabrication of a diffractive beam splitter for dual-wavelength and concurrent irradiation of process points

We report on a dual-wavelength diffractive beam splitter designed for use in parallel laser processing. This novel optical element generates two beam arrays of different wavelengths and allows their overlap at the process points on a workpiece. To design the deep surface-relief profile of a splitter using a simulated annealing algorithm, we introduce a heuristic but practical scheme to determine the maximum depth and the number of quantization levels. The designed corrugations were fabricated in a photoresist by maskless grayscale exposure using a high-resolution spatial light modulator. We characterized the photoresist splitter, thereby validating the proposed beam-splitting concept.

Diffractive optics development using a modified stack-and-draw technique

We present a novel method for the development of diffractive optical elements (DOEs). Unlike standard surface relief DOEs, the phase shift is introduced through a refractive index variation achieved by using different types of glass. For the fabrication of DOEs we use a modified stack-and-draw technique, originally developed for the fabrication of photonic crystal fibers, resulting in a completely flat element that is easy to integrate with other optical components. A proof-of-concept demonstration of the method is presented-a two-dimensional binary optical phase grating in the form of a square chessboard with a pixel size of 5 μm. Two types of glass are used: low refractive index silicate glass NC21 and high refractive index lead-silicate glass F2. The measured diffraction characteristics of the fabricated component are presented and it is shown numerically and experimentally that such a DOE can be used as a fiber interconnector that couples light from a small-core fiber into the several cores of a multicore fiber.

Diffractive optical element with same diffraction pattern for multicolor light-emitting diodes

The wavelength-division multiplexing technique can be utilized in visible light communication to increase the channel capacity when a multicolor mixed white LED is used as light source. In such an application, the illumination area of LEDs should be invariant to the incident wavelength, so as to decrease interference within the adjacent regions. Diffractive optical elements (DOEs) can be used in the optical transmitter system to shape the diffraction patterns into polygons. However, traditional DOEs illuminated by a multicolor mixed white LED would result into diffraction patterns with unequal sizes. In this paper, a hybrid algorithm which combines particle swarm optimization with a genetic algorithm is proposed for multicolor oriented DOEs design. A DOE is designed and fabricated for blue and red LEDs, and experimental results show that diffraction patterns with rather good uniformity as well as quasi-equal size for red and blue LEDs are obtained.

Colour hologram projection with an SLM by exploiting its full phase modulation range

We demonstrate independent and simultaneous manipulation of light beams of different wavelengths by a single hologram, which is displayed on a phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (SLM). The method uses the high dynamic phase modulation range of modern SLMs, which can shift the phase of each pixel in a range between 0 up to 10π, depending on the readout wavelength. The extended phase range offers additional degrees of freedom for hologram encoding. Knowing the phase modulation properties of the SLM (i.e. the so-called lookup table) in the entire exploited wavelength range, an exhaustive search algorithm allows to combine different independently calculated 2π-holograms into a multi-level hologram with a phase range extending over several multiples of 2π. The combined multi-level hologram then reconstructs the original diffractive patterns with only small phase errors at preselected wavelengths, thus projecting the desired image fields almost without any crosstalk. We demonstrate this feature by displaying a static hologram at an SLM which is read out with an incoherent red-green-blue (RGB) beam, projecting a color image at a camera chip. This is done for both, a Fourier setup which needs a lens for image focusing, and in a "lensless" Fresnel setup, which also avoids the appearance of a focused zero-order spot in the image center. The experimentally obtained efficiency of a two-colour combination is on the order of 83% for each wavelength, with a crosstalk level between the two colour channels below 2%, whereas a three-colour combination still reaches an efficiency of about 60% and a crosstalk level below 5%.

Spatial and spectral light shaping with metamaterials

Plasmonic metamaterials exhibit strong and tunable dispersion, as a result of their pronounced resonances. This dispersion is used to construct an ultrathin light-shaping element that produces different waves at two distinct wavelengths in the near IR range. The optical response of the pixelated element is adjusted by variations in the geometry of the metamaterial's unit cell. Applications requiring spatial and spectral control of light become feasible.

Emitting far-field multicolor patterns and characters through plastic diffractive micro-optics elements illuminated by common Gaussian lasers in the visible range

Far-field multicolor patterns and characters are emitted effectively in a relatively wide and deep spatial region by plastic diffractive micro-optics elements (DMOEs), which are illuminated directly by common Gaussian lasers in the visible range. Phase-only DMOEs are composed of a large number of fine step-shaped phase microstructures distributed sequentially over the plastic wafer selected. The initial DMOEs in silicon wafer are fabricated by an innovative technique with a combination of a single-mask ultraviolet photolithography and low-cost and rapid wet KOH etching. The fabricated silicon DMOEs are further converted into a nickel mask by the conventional electrochemical method, and they are finally transferred onto the surface of the plastic wafer through mature hot embossing. Morphological measurements show that the surface roughness of the plastic DMOEs is in the nanometer range, and the feature height of the phase steps in diffractive elements is in the submicrometer scale, which can be designed and adjusted flexibly according to requirements. The dimensions of the DMOEs can be changed from the order of millimeters to centimeters. A large number of pixel phase microstructures with a square microappearance employed to construct the phase-only DMOEs are created by the Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm, according to the target patterns and characters and common Gaussian lasers manipulated by the DMOEs fabricated.

Designing multiplane computer-generated holograms with consideration of the pixel shape and the illumination wave

The majority of image-generating computer-generated holograms (CGHs) are calculated on a discrete numerical grid, whose spacing is defined by the desired pixel size. For single-plane CGHs the influence of the pixel shape and the illumination wave on the actual output distribution is minor and can be treated separately from the numerical calculation. We show that in the case of multiplane CGHs this influence is much more severe. We introduce a new method that takes the pixel shape into account during the design and derive conditions to retain an illumination-wave-independent behavior.

Diffractive optical elements for simultaneous operation in reflection and transmission

It is advantageous for some diffractive optical element (DOE) applications to produce different output patterns in different circumstances. There has been considerable work on the design of wavelength multiplexing DOEs and in devices where the polarization of the incident light determines the output. One parameter that has not, to our knowledge, been exploited for pattern formation DOEs is the mode of operation, i.e., whether the element works in reflection or transmission. We present an approach for designing such devices and design an element with modeled efficiency, mean square error (MSE), and cross-talk of 65.9, 2.52, and 4.2% in transmission and 66.6, 2.50, and 3.5% in reflection. The element has been successfully fabricated and has measured efficiencies of 58.3% +/- 2 in reflection and 68.8% +/- 5 in transmission are reported.

Design and fabrication of stacked, computer generated holograms for multicolor image generation

We present a diffractive optical element consisting of computer-generated holograms and dielectric multilayer mirrors in a stratified setup. Illuminated with a white laser beam, consisting of three single lasers with wavelengths of 635 nm, 543 nm, and 473 nm, this element enables the far field projection of arbitrary, multicolor images. Certain advantages of holographic image generation, e.g., the possibility of a large depth of focus and a very easy optical setup, are maintained with the new element.

Analysis of the effects of bias phase and wavelength choice on the design of dual-wavelength diffractive optical elements

Diffractive optical elements (DOEs) are often used in pattern formation for display purposes. Constructing these images from two or more colors greatly enhances their visual effect. To achieve this with DOEs is not simple, as they are inherently wavelength specific. We discuss an algorithm for designing quantized elements that produce distinct intensity patterns in the far field for two wavelengths. The benefits of applying bias phase to the dual-wavelength problem are investigated. The difference between the best and the worst choice of bias phase is shown to produce a variation of up to 2% in the efficiency. The mean square error can vary by up to a factor of 2 between the best and the worst case. It is also critically important to understand how the values of the two wavelengths affect the result. We present an analysis of how choosing different pairs of wavelengths in the design process affects the quality of our results.

Optimal quantization method for uneven-phase diffractive optical elements by use of a modified iterative Fourier-transform algorithm

A method based on an iterative Fourier-transform algorithm (IFTA) with phase optimization for phase-only multilevel diffractive optical elements (DOEs) is presented. Phase optimization by minimizing the mean-squared error composed of an amplitude-weighted probability-density function is performed in the IFTA iterations to ensure that the wavefront difference is minimized and thus to improve the DOEs' performance. Using the proposed method, we obtained a small standard deviation of diffraction efficiency of 20 uneven-phase DOEs, showing that DOEs with high diffraction efficiency did not vary significantly with the initial conditions. The simulation results of even- and uneven-phase four-level DOEs designed by use of direct and stepwise quantization IFTA methods are compared.

Design of cascaded diffractive phase elements for three-dimensional multiwavelength optical interconnects

We propose a novel design method that incorporates multiple-layer relief profiles of diffractive phase elements to implement integrated operations on the incident beams according to their wavelengths. We demonstrate simultaneous wavelength-division demultiplexing, arbitrary (even random) wavelength shuffling or routing, spatial focusing, and other manipulations of multiwavelength beams, such as irradiance profile shaping, with design examples for applications in three-dimensional optical interconnects.

Multiwavelength operation with thin diffractive elements

It is generally accepted that diffractive elements designed for multiwavelength operation require deep surface-relief profiles. We show, however, that thin diffractive elements can be designed to operate with more than one wavelength. A novel, to our knowledge, optimization technique is introduced for this purpose. The maximum phase delay is limited to only a few multiples of 2pi, and the element can implement different functions for different wavelengths. Examples with fan-out gratings are discussed.