Design of diffractive optical elements for high-power laser applications

Diffractive optical technology is rapidly becoming an indispensable tool for the creation of high-efficiency optical beam-shaping devices within a wide range of industrial and research activities. The high damage thresholds of typical materials used in diffractive optical element fabrication make them highly suited for deployment in high-power laser systems. We present two high-power applications of diffractive optical elements designed using an ultrahigh fidelity, ultrahigh efficiency design technique and demonstrate the advantages, in terms of optical alignment, that can be achieved by combining the diffractive structures with a multilevel diffractive lens. © 2004 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.