Microaxicave: inverted microaxicon to generate a hollow beam

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Micro-optics fabrication

Background:

• Micro-optical elements are crucial for beam shaping.
• Generating hollow beams with specific geometries is an ongoing challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and demonstrate a microaxicave for generating circular hollow beams.
• To fabricate the microaxicave using a combination of direct laser writing and plasma etching.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a microaxicave in quartz using direct laser writing and inductively coupled plasma etching.
• Generation of circular hollow beams using the fabricated microaxicave.
• Experimental recording of the generated hollow beam using a CCD camera.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of the microaxicave structure.
• Demonstration of circular hollow beam generation.
• Experimental results consistent with theoretical diffraction analysis.

Conclusions:

• The microaxicave is an effective structure for generating circular hollow beams.
• The fabrication method is viable for producing such micro-optical elements.
• The experimental findings validate the theoretical predictions for hollow beam generation.