Holographic fabrication of reconfigurable diffractive elements
Abstract
The fabrication of Diffractive Optical Elements (DOEs) involves the analog patterning of material surfaces on the scale of light wavelength. This typically requires multi-step lithographic processes. Differently from the photoresists of standard lithography, thin films of amorphous azobenzene-containing polymers (azopolymers) can directly produce a structured surface using a single irradiation step with structured light. The resulting surface reliefs can be used directly as planar phase-modulating DOEs without the need for any post-exposure process. Additionally, the surface geometry and its optical functionality can be reconfigured at will. Here, we demonstrate reprogrammable and ready-to-use azopolymer diffractive gratings, lenses, and holographic projectors, produced by grayscale digital holographic patterns. By exploiting the all-optical scheme based of computer-generated holography, the diffraction behavior of the DOEs is optimized during the developing of structured surfaces. Full all-optical reconfigurability of the fabricated devices is also achieved. Our approach provides a versatile, efficient, and all-optical reversible fabrication framework for DOEs, making it a promising option to overcome the demanding, cumbersome, and irreversible fabrication processes typically involved in the realization of planar diffractive optical devices.
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BibTeX
@article{reda2026holographic,
title = {{Holographic fabrication of reconfigurable diffractive elements}},
author = {Francesco Reda and Marcella Salvatore and I Komang Januariyasa and Fabio Borbone and Stefano Luigi Oscurato},
journal = {EPJ Web of Conferences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1051/epjconf/202430911007},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05789711v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Holographic fabrication of reconfigurable diffractive elements
AU - Francesco Reda
AU - Marcella Salvatore
AU - I Komang Januariyasa
AU - Fabio Borbone
AU - Stefano Luigi Oscurato
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
JO - EPJ Web of Conferences
DO - 10.1051/epjconf/202430911007
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05789711v1
AB - The fabrication of Diffractive Optical Elements (DOEs) involves the analog patterning of material surfaces on the scale of light wavelength. This typically requires multi-step lithographic processes. Differently from the photoresists of standard lithography, thin films of amorphous azobenzene-containing polymers (azopolymers) can directly produce a structured surface using a single irradiation step with structured light. The resulting surface reliefs can be used directly as planar phase-modulating DOEs without the need for any post-exposure process. Additionally, the surface geometry and its optical functionality can be reconfigured at will. Here, we demonstrate reprogrammable and ready-to-use azopolymer diffractive gratings, lenses, and holographic projectors, produced by grayscale digital holographic patterns. By exploiting the all-optical scheme based of computer-generated holography, the diffraction behavior of the DOEs is optimized during the developing of structured surfaces. Full all-optical reconfigurability of the fabricated devices is also achieved. Our approach provides a versatile, efficient, and all-optical reversible fabrication framework for DOEs, making it a promising option to overcome the demanding, cumbersome, and irreversible fabrication processes typically involved in the realization of planar diffractive optical devices.
SN - 2100-014X
SN - 2101-6275
ER -