DEVELOPING DIFFRACTIVE OPTICS FOR OPTICAL COMPUTING

Diffractive optical elements easily handle tasks such as the generatio n of uniform arrays of beams, beam steering and focusing, and aberrati on correction that conventional optics alone often find difficult or i mpossible. Here we review the design, fabrication, and performance of DOEs for use as free-space interconnection elements in optical-computi ng and photonic-switching applications. Our discussion focuses on Four ier- and Fresnel-regime surface-relief structures and their microlitho graphic fabrication. We include two practical examples to demonstrate the potential of such optical elements.