Diffractive Optical Elements for Beam-Shaping Tasks in Solid-State Laser Systems

Abstract

We apply diffractive optical elements (DOEs) to a number of laser beam-shaping tasks. These tasks include customisation of the modes of a laser resonator, lensless beam propagation and a free-space Gaussian to flattop beam conversion. DOEs are inherently suited for operation with high-power solid-state lasers systems due to their excellent functionality and efficiency, and the high damage threshold of fused silica.