The main thing to understand about diffractive optical elements (DFoi) is that they work on the principle of dispersion where light waves are used to modify an object’s energy, which in turn changes its shape as a result. It is generally known as a phase shifter. Therefore, they are primarily used in single-waveless laser systems for the purpose of creating diffraction patterns on surfaces. Apart from modifying an object’s shape, they can also focus the light for other purposes such as for illumination, etc.
Different types of diffractive optical elements
There are a few different types of diffractive optical elements available in laser manufacturing.
- The most common ones are those having a high index of curvature and high index of transmission. However, some are manufactured using metal rings, man rings, titanium rings and poly rings.
- In addition to being used for adjusting the focus of a laser source, some lenses are also designed for photo correction, thermal and refractive enhancement, and to improve focus in astronomical photography.
Diffractive optical elements are basically used in fiber optic systems as well. However, because of their large bandwidth, they can be very useful for wide field lasers. One such application of them is in the manufacture of phase delays for laser sources. Phase delays are necessary for enabling certain wavelengths of light, which are required for generating laser pulses at a fixed frequency, to pass through a narrow path. In most cases, the spacing between these two waves is determined by a lens having a high index of curvature.
The major advantage of diffractive optical elements lies in their ability to introduce phase delays into a beam. As more waves get affected, the wavefront that reaches the output device experiences phase delays, which alter the shape of the transmitted wave. One of the most common applications of such a device is in the manufacturing of optical fibers, which are characterized by high optical transmission bandwidth and low power consumption.
One of the other important advantages of using diffractive optical elements in telecommunications is their ability to eliminate interference from multiple sources, which in turn improves the quality of the final transmitted signal. This is especially applicable in wavefront applications, where multiple waves may have an impact on the shape of the output device. For instance, when two microwave beams are incident on the same system, the produced image would have a horseshoe shape. However, when diffractive gratings are applied on the wavefront, there would be a flat top, which reduces any ‘bouncing’ effect, thereby ensuring that only the single wave or a specific wave’s energy is transmitted. Similarly, multi-layer cells in a fiber can help decrease the effects of wave multiplet, which occurs when multiple waves of different frequencies interact with the fiber.