Three-dimensional planarized diffraction structures based on surface relief gratings in azobenzene materials

The method of step-by-step formation of correlated 3D phase optical structures is presented. Surface relief gratings (SRG) recorded in azobenzene polymer layers are alternated with layers of a spacer polymer with a different refractive index. A pair of azobenzene and spacer polymers with excellent compatibility makes it possible to prepare layers of good optical quality in a stack without destruction of SRG in the previous layer. A correlated stack of six layers (three active and three spacer layers) with 2D structures of different types (linear, tetragonal, and hexagonal) were built. In this way hierarchical 3D structures with different grating periods or different shapes of SRG can be also produced, resulting in full flexibility of the structure type and grating parameters.     

Enhanced diffraction efficiency of gratings in multilayers

Computations with the rigorous differential method show that single gratings made by ion implantation have a diffraction efficiency in the +1 transmitted order under TE illumination of only 0.78%. The insertion of such gratings into multilayer dielectric Fabry-Perot cavities leads to an enhancement of the free-space diffraction efficiency. Different designs for the multilayer are considered. An 18.8% efficiency is reached with 11-layer mirrors. This result is obtained by optimization of the thickness of the spacer of the Fabry-Perot cavity that contains the grating and centering of the wavelength of the mirrors. The dependence of optical properties of the structure on the various optogeometrical parameters of the structure is discussed.     

Achromatic diffraction from polarization gratings with high efficiency

We demonstrate a broadband, thin-film, polarizing beam splitter based on an anisotropic diffraction grating composed of reactive mesogens (polymerizable liquid crystals). This achromatic polarization grating (PG) manifests high diffraction efficiency (approximately 100%) and high extinction ratio (> or = 1000:1) in both theory and experiment. We show an operational bandwidth Deltalambda/lambda0 approximately 56% (roughly spanning visible wavelength range) that represents more than a fourfold increase of bandwidth over conventional PGs (and significantly larger than any other grating). The diffraction angle and operational region (visible, near-infrared, midwave infrared, and ultraviolet wavelengths) may be easily tailored during fabrication. The essence of the achromatic design is a stack of two chiral PGs with an opposite twist sense and employs the principle of retardation compensation. We fully characterize its optical properties and derive the theoretical diffraction behavior.     

Diffraction efficiency of holographic blazed diffraction gratings

Holographic blazed diffraction grating is analysed as a periodic relief of an inclined sinusoidal curve in the shallow profile approximation. Under the condition that the rate of the development is a linear function of the development dose the evolution of the relief during the development is discussed. Theoretical curves of diffraction efficiency are compared with measurements on gratings made by direct holographic method for uv spectral region.     

Analysis of surface relief diffraction gratings made of anisotropic material

A modal method for the analysis of surface relief gratings made with anisotropic material is presented. The structure is decomposed into a series of cascaded discontinuities between planar waveguides with stratified anisotropic dielectric. The basic problem is formulated by an integral equation which is solved numerically by the method of moments. The mode functions of the periodic region are assumed as basis functions to represent the unknown field on the junctions. Each junction is viewed as a waveguide junction problem and has been characterized by the generalized scattering matrix (GSM). The diffraction efficiencies of the grating are determined by combining the various GSM. In this way, the analysis method is stable and can be applied also to deep gratings.     

Polarization holographic gratings with high diffraction efficiency recorded in azopolymer PAZO

Azopolymers are one of the most efficient materials able to record the polarization state of light. They have numerous applications, such as data storage and diffractive optical elements with unique polarization properties. An essential parameter for each diffractive element is its diffraction efficiency η. In order to optimize the recording conditions and obtain high-efficient polarization holographic gratings, in the present work we study the dependence of the diffraction efficiency on the recording angle and thickness of a series of azopolymer layers. Three recording angles are used ??10°, 20° and 30° and three series of thin films with thicknesses 470, 850 and 2400 nm from the water-soluble azopolymer PAZO. The gratings are inscribed by two plain waves with left and right circular polarization from a He-Cd gas laser (442 nm). The diffraction efficiency of the gratings is probed with a right hand circularly polarized beam from a probe laser with wavelength 635 nm. The kinetics of diffraction efficiency η(t) in the +?1 diffraction order are presented and compared. Our experimental results indicate that highest diffraction efficiency (more than 40%) is obtained for the sample with thickness 2400 nm and for recording angle 10°. As the holographic recording in azopolymers is usually accompanied by formation of surface relief gratings, the surface topography of the recorded samples is also investigated by atomic force microscopy.     

Anisotropic surface relief diffraction gratings under arbitrary plane wave incidence

A modal method is used for the analysis under oblique incidence of a diffraction grating made of anisotropic material. The problem is studied viewing the structure as the cascade of junctions between periodic arrays of anisotropic slab waveguides with the same period and different heights. This diffraction problem is formulated in terms of an integral equation that enforces the continuity of the transverse magnetic field at the junction. The unknown is the transverse electric field at the junction. It is possible to use also another formulation, where the role of the two fields is exchanged. The kernels of these equations are the relevant Green's functions, which are expressed in terms of eigenfunction expansions. The determination of the modes of the various regions composed of arrays of anisotropic dielectric slabs has been carried out by the method of spectral elements, whereby the field components are represented in a polynomial basis and the original differential eigenvalue problem is converted into an algebraic one. The integral equation is solved numerically by the method of moments and each junction is characterized by its generalized scattering matrix (GSM). Finally, the diffraction efficiencies of the grating are obtained by combining the various GSM's.     

亚波长闪耀光栅矢量衍射效率计算

将矢量衍射数值算法—严格耦合波分析用于精确计算亚波长闪耀光栅的衍射效率,并分析其衍射特性。建立了闪耀光栅的电磁介质模型,并将楔形不规则结构简化为多层矩形光栅结构,通过电磁场的介质分布建立严格耦合波方程。根据边界条件求解出各层的电磁场分布,再通过增透矩阵方法将各层电磁场依次迭代,求解出了整个结构的衍射效率。计算分析显示,对闪耀角为11.3°、周期为500 nm的金属铝闪耀光栅可以得到高于90%的衍射效率和相应的闪耀级次。实验表明这种矢量衍射数值算法具有较高的准确性,可以推广应用于高致密刻线复杂光栅的衍射计算分析。     

Period interaction on diffraction efficiency of blazed transmission gratings

The period interaction on diffraction of the blazed transmission gratings is analyzed with a modified extended scalar theory. For one certain period, the lights reflected from the neighboring structures can be refracted by the grating facets and form two extra fields on the bottom facet of blazed transmission gratings. The effects of this period interaction versus several diffraction orders for a fixed fabrication error of blazed transmission gratings with intermediate structures are discussed for both TE and TM polarizations. The results have been compared with those obtained with finite-difference time-domain method.     

严格耦合波法计算闪耀光栅衍射效率

针对一般标量近似算法精度不高的问题,提出采用S矩阵的严格耦合波的方法计算光栅衍射效率.通过建立完整的闪耀光栅理论模型,对各分层电磁场进行傅里叶级数展开,采用散射矩阵方法求解各谐波系数,完成衍射效率计算.该方法已应用到红外光栅TE和TM 2种模式衍射效率的计算.分析了散射矩阵解决数值运算不稳定的原因,通过与标量近似计算方法进行比较,说明红外光栅衍射偏振特性.     

Study of diffraction gratings for various profiles of the pit relief of a deformation

The influence of parameters of pit deformation on the diffraction efficiency η of relief phase diffraction gratings resulting from recording interference gratings in a simultaneous photothermoplastic process is studied. The depth of a pit, the height of a “breastwork,” and the height of the relief are considered among the parameters of the pit deformation. The quantity $\sqrt \eta The influence of parameters of pit deformation on the diffraction efficiency η of relief phase diffraction gratings resulting from recording interference gratings in a simultaneous photothermoplastic process is studied. The depth of a pit, the height of a “breastwork,” and the height of the relief are considered among the parameters of the pit deformation. The quantity is shown to be a linear function of the depth of a pit, the height of a breastwork, and the height of the relief in the actually (most often) used range of pit depths. The height of the relief produces the smallest effect on (the proportionality factor is 1), and the greatest effect is produced by the height of a breastwork (the proportionality factor is 2.5). The distribution of the height of the relief as well as the depth of a pit over spatial frequencies in the near-resonance region is found to be Gaussian. __________ Translated from Optika i Spektroskopiya, Vol. 90, No. 4, 2001, pp. 675–677. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2001 by Panasyuk, Nastas.     

Electro-optical switching of liquid crystal diffraction gratings by using surface relief effect in the photopolymer

Surface relief patterns are one of the promising possibilities for the fabrication of liquid crystal (LC) electro-optical devices. Optically recorded surface relief gratings in an acrylamide based photopolymer were filled with the liquid crystal to fabricate liquid crystal diffraction gratings. E49 liquid crystals were used in this work. The switching behaviour of the diffraction grating was investigated by measuring the intensity in the first order when an electric field was applied.     

Surface relief diffraction gratings fabricated in ZnSe by frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser micromachining

A novel and rapid laser ablation method for the fabrication of diffractive optical elements (DOE) in ZnSe that takes advantage of the relatively low intensity damage threshold of the material is presented. The structures were characterized in terms of their shape and diffraction efficiency at normal incidence under 10.6 μm radiation for TE and TM polarizations. Sample surface polishing as well as the possible effect of the melted zone and structural modification of the material around the ablated region on the power transmission capability of the grating are also discussed.     

Numerical analysis of apodized fiber Bragg gratings formation using phase mask with variable diffraction efficiency

Scalar diffraction theory is applied to analyze the intensity distribution in the fiber core during fiber Bragg grating (FBG) fabrication using an apodized phase mask. The averaged diffraction field distribution in fiber core was calculated as a function of optical fiber position. The results show that in a case of apodized FBGs fabrication, averaged field intensity profile, and thus refractive index changes in fiber core have complex form. Moreover, it was shown that the influence of optical fiber position behind the phase mask on average intensity distribution in fiber core decreases with increasing of its diameter.     

Direct recording of thin dynamic diffraction gratings in optically addressed spatial light modulators with a diffraction efficiency of more than 50%

The subject of investigation is conditions under which thin asymmetric-groove dynamic diffraction gratings with a diffraction efficiency of more than 50% can be recorded in liquid-crystal optically addressed spatial light modulators.     

Low efficiency diffraction by nonuniform phase gratings: a comparison of three approaches

The diffraction of a slowly varying input beam incident upon a nonuniform grating is studied. Expressions for the diffracted field at the output of the grating are first derived relying on well known kinematic and coupled wave theories. A third approach based on Fourier expansions of both the input beam and the quasi-periodic grating is then introduced and shown to provide the same expression under certain simplifying assumptions. The advantages of the approach for the solution of more general problems are discussed.     

Holographic diffraction gratings with multilayer insulator coatings

Based on numerical modeling of metallized diffraction gratings with multilayer insulator coatings, the diffraction efficiency of such gratings is investigated, assuming that the initial profile of the metallized grat-ing is not reproduced in the course of sequential deposition of coating layers. From comparison of experimental and calculated data, it is concluded that the initial grating relief is subject to considerable smoothing. The new nontraditional range of the optimum values of layer thicknesses, which provides a high diffraction efficiency in the operating wavelength range of 1.06 μm, is suggested. The stability of the diffraction efficiency with respect to random errors in the thickness of insulator layers deposited is investigated numerically.     

Improvement of the diffraction efficiency and kinetics of holographic gratings in photochromic media by auxiliary light

Holographic gratings recorded in photochromic media often do not obtain the maximally achievable diffraction efficiency because of diminishing the fringe contrast caused, e.g., by a photochemically active readout beam or unequal intensities of object and reference waves. For nonreversible materials this problem causes a decrease in diffraction efficiency that is proportional to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, in nonlinear materials such as photochromic media, for which saturation effects need to be considered, an out-of-proportion decrease in the SNR results. It is shown that an overshooting peak during hologram growth, which then decays to a lower permanent level of diffraction, is an indicator for such a situation. Even a weak readout beam may cause such effects, which significantly affect the hologram kinetics. The observed overshooting diffraction efficiency may even be misinterpreted to be dependent on material properties. Experimental and theoretical proof that with low levels of auxiliary light this type of problem can be eliminated completely is presented. Throughout this research bacteriorhodopsin films were used, but the results are valid for photochromic media in general.