High phase retardation by waveguiding in slanted photonic nanostructures.

We report a physical mechanism leading to high phase retardation in slanted photonic nanostructures. The phenomenon is based on the waveguiding of the transverse electric polarization component inside the slanted pillars, while the transverse magnetic component is not guided. Such a mechanism leads to very high phase retardation even with shallow structures that are suitable also for lithographical mass production. We present physical principle, numerical analysis of the phenomenon and designs for half-wave retarders. As an experimental result, a slanted grating producing 177 degrees retardation and 95.5% efficiency is presented.

Low-cost fabrication of form-birefringent quarter-wave plates.

An extensive study of the single-step replication of form-birefringent quarter-wave plates is presented. Using rigorous diffraction theory, the fabrication parameters and tolerances are carefully studied in order to obtain ideal conditions for successful replication. The design considerations are then applied to fabricate a master element by electron-beam lithography, and to replicate quarter-wave plates using the UV-moulding process. The measurements show that the replicas behave as high-performance quarter-wave plates for the design wavelength.

Polarization conversion in conical diffraction by metallic and dielectric subwavelength gratings.

Subwavelength metallic and dielectric diffraction gratings which rotate the linear polarization of incident light by 90 degrees are examined. Using rigorous diffraction theory in total-internal-reflection configuration, it is shown that full conversion from incident transverse electric field to transverse magnetic zero-order field can be achieved with both dielectric and metallic elements, but dielectric gratings provide higher efficiency and are thus preferable. The fabrication aspects and constraints are discussed in detail and the behavior of the gratings over broad wavelength bands is presented.

A double-sided grating coupler for thin light guides.

A simple and efficient solution for coupling a collimated light beam into a thin light guide is presented. The approach is based on two gratings, with their grating lines perpendicular to each other, fabricated into the opposite surfaces of the light guide. The presented numerical simulation shows that an optimized double-sided solution for unpolarized light enables around 2-7 times higher incoupling efficiencies than what is possible with conventional solution based on only one grating. Experimental verification is made by using UV-replicated binary gratings on both sides of a PMMA foil.

Replicated slanted gratings with a high refractive index material for in and outcoupling of light.

Diffractive slanted gratings are manufactured onto plastic light guides using a high refractive index material and UV replication technology. We show that the manufacturing of such components is possible in large quantities. The applications of the slanted gratings are a high efficiency light in- and outcoupling with plastic light guides. We also show that it is possible to control which outcoupling diffraction order, reflective or transmissive, is dominating and hence to maximize the light power to one direction.

Double-groove, two-depth grating coupler for light guides.

A double-groove, two-depth dielectric grating structure for high-efficiency light coupling into a light guide is introduced. We show computationally that the optimized gratings can couple a monochromatic TE- or TM-polarized light beam with nearly 100% efficiency. For an unpolarized light beam 90% efficiency can be reached. In all cases the highest achieved coupling efficiencies require that the refractive index of the grating material be greater than 1.7. The illumination and fabrication tolerances of the couplers are also analyzed.

White LED light coupling into light guides with diffraction gratings.

Radial diffractive gratings are used to couple light of a white LED into a light guide. Theoretical coupling efficiencies are evaluated with rigorous diffraction theory in a pure conical mounting. It is shown that when the refractive index of the grating increases from 1.46 to 2.05 the incoupling efficiency increases from 42% to 63%. Also, with the increasing refractive index the incoupling efficiency is shown to become more nearly uniform over the visible spectrum. Experimental results for the incoupled efficiencies and the color coordinates of the incoupled spectra are introduced for refractive indices n=1.46 and n=1.56.

Coupling of light from an LED into a thin light guide by diffractive gratings.

Ring-shaped and radial diffractive gratings are designed with rigorous diffraction theory to couple light of a nearly monochromatic LED into a thin planar light guide on the bottom side. The theoretical coupling efficiencies for ring-shaped and radial gratings are 41% and 66%, respectively. Optimized diffractive elements are manufactured with direct electron-beam lithography and reactive-ion-etching into SiO2 substrates. Good agreement between experimental and theoretical results for selected radial gratings is reached. Furthermore, the mass production tests using injection molding are carried out with good replicability.