Thick grating focussing-device-design using poynting-vector-optics

Novel thick grating focussing and de-focussing devices are described which employ uniform phase gratings with special boundary shapes. The analysis used is based upon an eigenmodal approach to Kogelnik's coupled-wave equations, akin to the dynamical theory of x-ray diffraction. The relationship between the direction of phase progression of the coupled-waves at Bragg incidence, and the direction of the Poynting vector is carefully delineated. As a consequence, a new technique-Poynting Vector Optics — is suggested as potentially an important means of designing thick gratings to fulfil certain beam processing roles, especially in integrated optics applications. The two-dimensional coupled-wave equations are briefly employed to illustrate the effectiveness of a particular focussing device.