Abstract

In the paraxial domain of diffractive optics diffractive elements are, in general, designed by scalar theory. The resulting elements possess transverse features that are large compared with the wavelength. We demonstrate some advantages of using wavelength-scale features and hence rigorous diffraction theory in the paraxial domain of diffractive optics. Our design procedure leads to elements with efficiencies that exceed by a considerable margin the upper bounds of diffraction efficiency predicted by scalar synthesis theory.

© 1995 Optical Society of America

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