Diffraction efficiency of thin film holographic beam steering devices

Dynamic holography has been demonstrated as a method for correcting aberrations in space deployable optics, and can also be used to achieve high-resolution beam steering in the same environment. In this paper we consider some of the factors affecting the efficiency of these devices. Specifically, the effect on the efficiency of a highly collimated beam from the number of discrete phase steps per period is considered for a blazed thin film beam steering grating. The effect of the number of discrete phase steps per period on steering resolution is also considered. We also present some results of Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) calculations of light propagating through liquid crystal "blazed" gratings. Liquid crystal gratings are shown to spatially modulate both phase and amplitude of propagating light.