Photofabrication of random achromatic optical diffusers for uniform illumination

We propose a method of designing two-dimensional random surfaces that scatt er light uniformly within a specified range of angles and produce no scatte ring outside that range. The method is first tested by means of computer si mulations. Then a procedure for fabricating such structures on photoresist is described, and light-scattering measurements with the fabricated samples are presented. The results validate the design procedure and show that the fabrication method is feasible. (C) 2001 Optical Society of America OCIS c odes: 290.0290, 030.5770, 050.1970.