HOLOGRAPHIC OPTICAL ELEMENTS WITH ULTRA-HIGH SPATIAL FREQUENCIES

This dissertation describes an experimental study of optical elements with ultra-high spatial frequency surface corrugations in both photoresist and quartz. Details of element fabrication are given and two new applications are suggested.; For the photoresist gratings, angular selectivity, wavelength selectivity, and peak efficiency are investigated. The study shows that optical elements with spatial frequencies in excess of 3000 l/mm and efficiencies greater than 88% can be recorded in subwavelength thick layers of Shipley AZ-1300 series photoresist.; The quartz elements are made via reactive ion etching which faithfully transfers a pattern from a photoresist mask to a fused quartz substrate. The quartz gratings have withstood laser fluxes of 4.17 GW/cm('2) without sustaining damage and have efficiencies greater than 85%.; Two new applications for substrates with ultra-high spatial frequency surface corrugations are reported. Such elements at normal incidence are antireflective (AR) with broadband reflection coefficients less than 0.045%. The elements also exhibit artificially produced birefringence making them useful as waveplates. These results may be particularly significant in the UV and IR where damage resistant AR coatings and transparent birefringent materials may not exist.; A brief discussion and accompanying experimental study is included extending holography to the fabrication of integrated circuits with submicron features.