Diffractive and binary optics for laser systems

Diffractive optics provides optical system designers with new and exciting degrees of freedom, which can be used to optimize laser system performance and create new optical components and systems. In this talk, the operational features, fabrication methods, and applications of diffractive optics technology will be emphasized. Applications include: aberration-correction for both monochromatic and broadband optical systems (UV to IR), laser-line-scan systems, head-mounted and head-up displays, optical-disk readout heads, null optics for optical testing, subwavelength structured surfaces for anti-reflection and polarization control, and many others