Diffractive waveplate lenses and applications
First Claim
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1. An optical system comprising:
- a light source;
one or more diffractive waveplate lenses with switchable optical power, each diffractive waveplate lenses having a thin film of birefringent material, a substrate for deposition of the birefringent material having an optical axis orientation in each thin film of said birefringent material spatially modulated in one or both transverse directions parallel to the substrate on which said thin film of said birefringent material is applied; and
switching devices for selectively switching the optical power of said diffractive waveplate lenses, wherein each of k successive diffractive waveplate lens has a focusing power double of the focusing power of the adjacent lens to focus the beam of said light source to any of 2k focal planes, adjacent accessible focal planes being equally separated, for circularly polarized light.
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Abstract
Methods, systems and devices for diffractive waveplate lens and mirror systems allowing electronically focusing light at different focal planes. The system can be incorporated into a variety of optical schemes for providing electrical control of transmission. In another embodiment, the system comprises diffractive waveplate of different functionality to provide a system for controlling not only focusing but other propagation properties of light including direction, phase profile, and intensity distribution.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. An optical system comprising:
- a light source;
one or more diffractive waveplate lenses with switchable optical power, each diffractive waveplate lenses having a thin film of birefringent material, a substrate for deposition of the birefringent material having an optical axis orientation in each thin film of said birefringent material spatially modulated in one or both transverse directions parallel to the substrate on which said thin film of said birefringent material is applied; and
switching devices for selectively switching the optical power of said diffractive waveplate lenses, wherein each of k successive diffractive waveplate lens has a focusing power double of the focusing power of the adjacent lens to focus the beam of said light source to any of 2k focal planes, adjacent accessible focal planes being equally separated, for circularly polarized light. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
- a light source;
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11. A fiber optic device comprising:
- a light source;
a polarization maintaining optical fiber; and
one or more switchable diffractive waveplate lenses at an output facet of the optical fiber comprising a thin film of birefringent material and said diffractive waveplate lenses having an optical axis orientation that is spatially modulated in one or both transverse directions parallel to a substrate on which said thin film of birefringent material is applied; and
a controller device for controlling a state of polarization in the optical fiber, wherein each of k successive diffractive waveplate lens has a focusing power double of the focusing power of the adjacent lens to focus the beam of said light source to any of 2k focal planes, adjacent accessible focal planes being equally separated, for circularly polarized light. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
- a light source;
Specification