Digital synthesis of binary diffractive masks using mathematical morphology

A binary mask is commonly treated as an amplitude transmittance function wh ose profile can be constructed using the tools of 2-D linear systems theory . We present an alternative approach using mathematical morphology for the digital synthesis of binary diffractive masks formed of elementary nonperio dic, periodic, and annular geometric configurations by means of a small set of structuring elements used as building blocks and the basic operations o f dilation, erosion, and the morphological gradient. We apply this new tech nique in a optical-digital coherent processor that uses a programmable liqu id crystal display to visualize the spatial dynamics of Fraunhofer diffract ion patterns in real time. (C) 2001 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentatio n Engineers.