Method for Manufacturing a Diffractive Optical Element

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This invention describes a method for producing a diffractive optical element (DOE), which is used to shape the beam of a light source (for example, modifying the intensity profile of a laser beam). The process uses a layered mirror structure, with precision micrometer- and nanometer-scale features (bulges) created in a thin, electrically conductive reflective layer through targeted heating using a laser with a different wavelength. The approach allows extremely fine and high-resolution structuring, enabling improved beam shaping with less undesired light scattering.

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• Precision laser beam shaping in scientific and industrial applications
• Manufacturing of optical components for advanced photolithography, especially in semiconductor fabrication (including EUV lithography)
• Development of high-efficiency, low-noise optical systems for telecommunications
• Enhanced optical devices for microscopy and laser-based imaging
• Production of specialized reflective elements for laser material processing (cutting, engraving, welding)
• Creation of customized diffractive mirrors for use in ultrafast and ultra-short pulse lasers

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• Enables the manufacturing of DOEs with extremely high spatial and vertical resolution, increasing efficiency and reducing stray light and unwanted diffraction orders.
• Allows for the production of diffractive elements that work with very short wavelengths (down to 10 nm, including EUV), surpassing existing technical limitations.
• Improved manufacturing precision reduces the need for complex, repetitive chemical etching and lithography steps, lowering production cost and complexity.
• The process supports flexible and complex surface profile designs (like sawtooth or Gaussian shapes), expanding the range and effectiveness of beam shaping possible.
• Thin layer design enables better localization of heat, minimizing thermal spread and allowing for closer feature packing and miniaturization.
• The resulting DOEs offer significantly improved diffraction efficiency, directing almost all the light into the desired order with minimal noise.

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a diffractive optical element (1) for the beam-shaping of a light beam with a first wavelength of at least 10 nm, having the following steps: providing a laser mirror (2), wherein the laser mirror (2) has a layered structure consisting of a substrate (3), a dielectric material layer (4), and an electrically conductive reflective layer (5), said dielectric material layer (4) resting on the substrate (3), or the laser mirror (2) has a layered structure consisting of a substrate (3), a dielectric material layer (4), an electrically conductive reflective layer (5), and an absorption layer (6), said absorption layer (6) being located between the substrate (3) and the dielectric material layer (4); and producing a plurality of bulges (7) in the electrically conductive reflective layer (5) by treating the laser mirror (2) using a heating laser radiation with a second wavelength.