Polarizing diffraction-grating triplicators

We report experimental results with a reflective continuous anisotropic polarizing diffraction-grating beam splitter that produces three diffraction orders. The diffraction efficiencies and polarizations of the diffracted orders are controlled through the incoming polarization state and by use of a wave plate with arbitrary orientation located between the grating and a mirror. In particular, we show experimental evidence of a diffraction triplicator-a 100% efficiency diffractive device that generates three orders with equal power. (C) 2001 Optical Society of America.