An approach to realisation of a Radial Phase mask using 3-D printing in transparent PLA

Abstract

In the recent years, many different techniques and algorithms have been devised to design diffractive optical elements (DOE’s) for the purpose of beam shaping. This paper demonstrates an approach to realise a 3-D printed radial phase mask to be used in beam shaping to achieve a beam profile closer to the flattop. An iterative algorithm approach is employed to simulate the phase masks in greyscale and subsequently into STL format. These 3-D printed masks are used as an optical element and characterised using an experimental setup. The images of the light after the characterisation are examined and compared with the simulated results. Therefore, this method reduces the complexity as 3-D printing the masks eliminates the need for fabrication, processing time and number of components necessary to obtain a flattop beam profile.