Pancharatnam-Berry phase enables various flat special optical elements such as top-hat converters. We present a study on engineering efficient vectorial top-hat converters inscribed in the glass by high-power femtosecond laser pulses. We start with a phase-encoded top-hat converter and demonstrate how its efficiency can be further increased by adjustment of phase masks and various parameters. We use self-organized nanogratings inscribed by a femtosecond laser for the creation of the converter (produced by 'Workshop of Photonics'). Experimental verification of the concept is also presented.
During the last decade the zeroth order Bessel-Gauss laser beam has found many uses in the transparent material processing. The high aspect ratio channels can be created that slice through various thin transparent materials and increase the efficiency of cutting. However, the generation of high-quality Bessel-Gauss beam remains a challenge due to imperfection of glass axicon manufacturing, i.e. rounded tip, not smooth surface etc. These imperfections generate intensity modulation along propagation axis or even modify transversal central core intensity distribution, that results in worsening of micro-machining quality. The diffractive optical element (DOE) is a great alternative that do not suffer from previously mentioned problems. In this study we show the possibility of generating high quality Bessel-type beams with geometric phase optical elements (GPOEs) (manufactured by Workshop of Photonics). These elements act as precise flat DOEs that have very high diffraction efficiency (>90%), high optical damage threshold and can be freely customized for specific needs. Therefore, with the use of high-power laser they can be applied to process transparent materials. In this work, controllable phase shifts are implemented in axicon phase masks to create unique and fanciful Bessel-type beams as well as asymmetric core beams for thin glass modification/cutting application. Using numerical simulations and experimental data we compare performance of GPOEs and demonstrate thin glass processing using powerful laser with reshaped intensity distribution by GPOE.
A well-known and already having many material processing applications zero-order Bessel beam makes a great base for improvements to have even broader applicability. In our work, we analyze vector Bessel beams (VBB), which can be generated with high efficiency and quality via the use of Geometric Phase Optical Elements. The beam transverse polarization distribution enables to change intensity distribution easily, i.e. a polarizer in front of the beam will generate invariant over the propagation multi-peak ring- the shaped structure which could be very beneficial to modify material at multiple sights with a single laser shot. We analyze higher-order VBB generated modifications in thin glass and analyze the applicability for etching of large diameter holes.
Long focal lines with transverse spot sizes as small as a few wavelengths are called optical needles. A zeroth order Bessel beam being a good example is widely used in such applications as laser micromachining. In practice Bessel beam generated with an axicon has a peak in axial intensity distribution and is not only due to aberrations caused by planar dielectric material interface. Here, we investigate optical needles with controlled axial intensity distribution via intensity modulation of the incoming beam. We have chosen to generate constant axial intensity Bessel beam and propose spatial transmission mask to do so. Experimental verification is presented using diffractive optics elements based on Pancharatnam-Berry phase. We demonstrate a flattening of the axial intensity profile of the Bessel beam without the alteration to the optical needle diameter.
Non-diffracting Bessel beams and its modified versions are widely used in industry for transparent material micro processing purposes - cutting, drilling etc., due to generation of high aspect ratio micro voids. More and more applications of such beams involve manipulation of their transverse intensity profile to create unique tools for novel micro processing applications, for example, asymmetric and multi-peak transverse profiles create directional strain and crack in modified area for glass cutting, while other intensity patters may be used to create complex structures in multiphoton polymerization applications. In this work we demonstrate experimental generation of higher order vector Bessel beams which are notable for their ring-shaped transverse intensity profile together with multi-peak transverse polarization components, where ring diameter and number of peaks in separate polarization components depends on beams order. These unique beams were realized using axicon together with higher order s-plates - spatially variant waveplates based on femtosecond laser written nano gratings in fused silica glass substrates. Induced nanogratings withstands high intensity laser radiation without changing its spatial structure which allows us to use nanograting based elements for ultra-short high-power pulsed laser beam shaping. Generated higher order vector Bessel beams and their separate polarization components were used to inscribe modifications in transparent materials and to investigate beam`s applicability for ultra-fast laser micro processing purposes.
Beam profile engineering, where a desired optical intensity distribution is generated by phase shifting and/or amplitude changing elements, is a promising approach in various laser-related applications. For example, vector geometrical phase elements enable various flat special optical elements such as top-hat converters. We present a study on engineering efficient top-hat converters inscribed in the glass by femtosecond laser pulses. We start with an amplitude encoded top hat converter and demonstrate how its efficiency can be further increased by introduction of phase masks and by the polarization of the incident beam. Experimental verification of the concept is also presented.
Nondiffracting beams are known for their long line of focus, which has various applications in laser materials processing. Zeroth order Bessel beam is usually generated with an axicon and has a distinct circular spatial spectra. The nature of higher order Bessel beams, elliptical and parabolic nondiffracting beams is also conical and their spatial spectra have their own azimuthal modulation. We study numerically and verify experimentally generation of vortical Bessel beams, their superpositions along with elliptical and parabolical beams using an axicon. Laser induced modifications in glasses for various durations and beam powers using generated pulsed beams are analyzed.
Zeroth order Bessel beams are widely used in laser micromachining of transparent materials. The small diameter of central core and elongated focus enables to generate high aspect ratio voids. The simplest way to generate this beam is to induce a conical shape phase with an axicon. However, the quality of the axicon tip is very crucial to generate smooth Bessel beams since it is known that a blunt axicon tip induces large intensity modulation in propagation direction. Alternative Bessel beam generation method is to use a Diffractive Optical Elements (DOEs) that do not suffer from previously mentioned problem. In this work we demonstrate generation of a zeroth order Bessel beam with Geometric Phase Optical Elements (GPOEs) (manufactured by Workshop of Photonics) acting as a diffractive beam shaping element. Having absolute control of induced beam phase, we have modified mask phase so that half of it had additional phase shift or spatial transposition resulting in creation of fanciful induced beam phase patterns. With the use of laser beam propagation numerical modeling we show that these new phase masks can create various beam transverse intensity patterns such as asymmetrical central core, generation of multiple peaks or even large rings that are highly demanded for various laser micromachining applications. We have chosen couple of most perspective beam shapes and manufactured GPOEs to generate them. The experimentally generated beams were compared to numerical simulations. As the GPOEs are able to work with high power pulses we have also investigated induced transparent material modifications.
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