A nonparaxial vector-field method is used to describe the behavior of low-f-number microlenses by use of ray propagation, Fresnel coefficients and the solution of Maxwell equations to determine the field propagating through the lens boundaries, followed by use of the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld method to find the diffracted field behind the lenses. This approach enables the phase, the amplitude, and th...

In an earlier publication [Appl. Opt. 47, 3722 (2008)] we suggested an adaptive optical lens, which consists of two cascaded diffractive optical elements (DOEs). Due to the Moiré-effect the combined optical element acts as a Fresnel zone lens with a refractive power that can be continuously adjusted by a mutual rotation of the two stacked DOEs. Here we present an experimental realization of thi...

This paper describes a solar-thermal run Stirling engine based uninterrupted power generating system employing magnesium sulphate impregnated Zeolite pellets for thermal energy storage. In the proposed system, Stirling engine design is based on the average temperature difference of 480 C, assuming the heat sink temperature equal to the ambient temperature of that place. In presence of sun, Fres...

A thermally stable, piezoelectric and pyroelectric polymeric substrate was prepared. This thermally stable, piezoelectric and pyroelectric polymeric substrate may be used to prepare electromechanical transducers, thermomechanical transducers, accelerometers, acoustic sensors, infrared sensors, pressure sensors, vibration sensors, impact sensors, in-situ temperature sensors, in-situ stresshtrain...

We demonstrate a variable focal length achromatic lens that consists of a flat liquid crystal diffractive lens and a pressure-controlled fluidic refractive lens. The diffractive lens is composed of a flat binary Fresnel zone structure and a thin liquid crystal layer, producing high efficiency and millisecond switching times while applying a low ac voltage input. The focusing power of the diffra...

Thin structured surfaces allow flexible control over propagation of electromagnetic waves. Focusing and polarization state analysis are among functions, required for effective manipulation of radiation. Here a polarization sensitive Fresnel zone plate lens is proposed and experimentally demonstrated for GHz spectral range. Two spatially separated focal spots for orthogonal polarizations are obt...

We report a novel surface-micromachined micro-optical bench (MOB) technology which enables us to monolithically integrate "flipped-up" free-space optical elements with micro-positioners and micro-actuators. This technology allows complete optical systems be implemented on a single Si chip using IC-like microfabrication processes. We have, for the first time, successfully fabricated micro-Fresne...

Best resolutions in X-ray focusing are obtained to date by using diffractive lenses called Fresnel zone plates (FZPs). Their further improvement is nevertheless hindered by fundamental limitations in the employed manufacturing techniques. Here, we show a novel method to fabricate FZPs based on multilayer deposition with atomic layer deposition (ALD) and subsequent sectioning with focused ion be...

1. Background Currently, grand-scale synchrotron radiation facilities, where high-quality X-ray sources are available in wide energy ranges from the softto hardX-ray regions, have significantly advanced the performance characteristics of analytical technologies using the fluorescence, absorption and diffraction effects of X-rays in various materials. The application of X-ray microscopy with the...

Fresnel Zone Plate Lenses (FZPLs) have been successfully coupled to infrared (IR) antennas producing a responsivity enhancement of about two orders of magnitude. However, their lateral extension may compromise their applicability in focal-planearrays (FPA) IR imagers, where the dimensions of the pixel are constrained by the FPA spacing. When designing optimum-gain FZPLs for FPAs, we are lead to...