Design of diffractive optical elements to produce arbitrary axial distributions of light by a Fourier-like transformation

Abstract

We present a method to produce a customized distribution of light along the optical axis using a radially symmetric diffractive optical element calculated without the need of iterative algorithms. We propose that by adding spherical waves generated from each point of the required axial distribution of light and using a 2 f lens array, a diffractive optical element can be calculated easily. We show that the intensity and phase of the light field can be controlled because the transmittance function of the diffractive element, defined in radial coordinates, and the axial distribution of the light generated, are a Fourier-like transform pair. The proof of concept from the theoretical, numerical, and experimental approaches is shown.