BLAZED HOLOGRAPHIC GRATINGS FOR POLYCHROMATIC AND MULTIDIRECTIONAL INCIDENCE LIGHT

A new approach for optimizing the groove depth of blazed holographic gratings that are illuminated by light with a wide range of wavelengths or incidence angles is presented. The approach is based on choosing the groove depth that maximizes the overall diffraction efficiency over the entire range of incidence angles and wavelengths. The scalar approximation is used for the diffraction efficiency calculations, with some results verified by rigorous vectorial calculations. Analytic solutions are given for some simple examples, together with experimental results.