title: Design and performance of a refractive optical system that converts a Gaussian to a flattop beam.
abstract: A system of two aspheric lenses is described, which efficiently converts a collimated Gaussian beam to a flattop beam. Departing from earlier designs, both aspheric surfaces were convex, simplifying their fabrication; the output beam was designed with a continuous roll-off, allowing control of the far-field diffraction pattern; and diffraction from the entrance and exit apertures was held to a negligible level. The design principles are discussed in detail, and the performance of the as-built optics is compared quantitatively with the theoretical design. Approximately 78% of the incident power is enclosed in a region with 5% rms power variation. The 8-mm-diameter beam propagates approximately 0.5 m without significant change in the intensity profile; when the beam is expanded to 32 mm in diameter, this range increases to several meters.
authors: IBM Almaden Research Center, 650 Harry Road, San Jose, California 95120-6099, USA. hoffnagl@almaden.ibm.com
authors: J A
authors: JA
authors: Hoffnagle
authors: C M
authors: CM
authors: Jefferson