Design and fabrication of a polarization-independent wideband transmission fused-silica grating.

A fused-silica polarization-independent wideband transmission grating used in the -1st order (Littrow mounting) for chirped-pulse-amplification, high-power lasers is designed and manufactured. An approximate grating profile can be obtained by using the simplified modal method with consideration for the corresponding accumulated phase difference of two excited propagating grating modes. An exact grating profile is optimized by using the rigorous coupled-wave analysis. With the optimized profile parameters, the gratings can theoretically exhibit diffraction efficiencies of greater than 97% at a wavelength of 800 nm for both of TE- and TM-polarized waves. Diffraction efficiencies of greater than 92% can be obtained in a 100 nm bandwidth (from 750 to 850 nm) for both TE- and TM-polarized waves. Holographic recording technology and inductively coupled plasma etching are used to manufacture the fused-silica grating. Experimental results agree well with the theoretical values.