Laser beam shaping elements can be used e.g. for material processing. The results of these processes can be improved when the usually Gaussian profile of the laser is transformed into a top hat profile, which can be circular or rectangular in shape. Another frequently used type of beam-forming devices are beam splitters for parallel processing using only one laser. These types of beam formers can be implemented as diffractive or refractive elements. So far these optics are produced either directly by means of lithography e.g. in glass or in plastic using a hot embossing process or nanoimprint technology..Elements produced in this way have either the disadvantage of high costs or they are limited in temperature range, laser power or wavelength. A newly developed molding process for glass allows the manufacture of larger numbers of optics with reduced cost.The production of molds for refractive top hat beam shaping devices requires very high precision of the applied grinding process. Form deviations below 100 nm are necessary to obtain a homogeneous illumination. Measurements of the surface topography of gauss to top hat beam shaping elements using white light interferometry are presented as well as results of optical measurements of the beam profile using a camera.Continuous diffractive beam shaping elements for beam splitting applications are designed to generate several sub-beams each carrying the same energy. In order to achieve this, form deviations of less than 50 nm are required. Measurements of the surface of a 1 x 5 beam splitter are compared with ideal beam splitter profiles. The resulting beam intensity distribution of a molded element is presented.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.