| Abstract Scope |
Patterns composed of micron-sized surface structures can abruptly change the properties of an optical wave front, including its phase, amplitude, polarization, and dispersion. Optical components featuring surface micro-gratings not only possess optical functionalities that can rival or exceed those of traditional bulky components but can also significantly improve the compactness of optical systems. This talk introduces a combined computational-experimental approach to the realization of conformally patterned programmable large area infrared diffractive glass layers for next generation hybrid diffractive-refractive aberration-corrected imaging platforms. We present a versatile and scalable laser-based photo-chemical process to spatially tailor the geometry of micro-gratings within As2S3 glass films and functionalize resulting structures for broadband infrared diffraction optical elements. Furthermore, our spatially programmable photo-chemical process is expected to enable a wide variety of surface structures to be conformally realized on arbitrarily shaped platforms, thereby making our approach an ideal candidate for many broadband optical applications. |