Diffractive Lens Dispersion Characteristic as Wavemeter for Optical Communications

Abstract

Recent advances in design, analysis and fabrication have made diffractive optical element (DOE) an attractive choice for a variety of applications. In optical communication, particularly for single-mode fiber coupling, a DOE can be attractive. In this communication, the single-mode fiber coupling efficiency is analysed for couplers with diffractive lenses in infinite conjugaison geometry. We develop the relationship between optical aberrations of diffractive lenses and coupling efficiency for single-mode fiber components. The result provides a compact description of chromatic aberration effects. And finally, it is shown how the diffractive lens dispersion characteristic can be used to perform a simple wavemeter in the spectral region of optical communication.