Infrared and Laser Engineering, Volume. 54, Issue 6, 20240557(2025)

Design and fabrication technology of micro-prism array laser beam splitter

Jingsong QIN1,2,3, Guodong ZHU2,3, Mingyou GAO2,3, Zhimin ZHANG2,3, and Weiguo ZHANG2,3
Author Affiliations
  • 1School of Optoelectronic Engineering, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China
  • 2Micro and Nano Manufacturing and System Integration Center, Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
  • 3College of Intelligent Manufacturing, Chongqing School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
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    ObjectiveThe laser beam splitter is capable of dividing a laser beam into multiple beams with controllable energy and direction, thereby significantly enhancing the efficiency and flexibility of optical systems. It finds extensive applications in various fields such as laser communication, laser processing, laser scanning, and medical treatment. The existing types of laser beam splitters primarily include Diffractive Optical Element (DOE) beam splitter, microlens array beam splitter, and free-form lens beam splitter. While these can be applied to different scenarios for beam splitting purposes, they do have certain limitations in terms of processing tolerance and working distance. Therefore, we propose a design method for a microprism array-based laser beam splitter that offers a novel approach towards developing long-distance beam splitters with arbitrary energy distribution.MethodsThis paper proposes a laser beam splitter based on a microprism array, investigates the design principle of the beam splitter, establishes a functional relationship model between the structural parameters and optical properties of the microprism unit, develops an algorithm for designing the microprism, and analyzes fabrication and detection schemes for microprism arrays with different structural characteristics. Using a 1×3 microprism array beam splitter with an interval angle of 0.15° and an energy distribution ratio of 0.365∶0.225∶0.365 as an example, we conducted modeling and geometric ray tracing simulations for the beam splitter, designed its target structure using lithography to achieve precise fabrication, built a test light path, and used spot image processing algorithms to characterize its optical performance. Result and Discussions The output light spot of the 1×3 beam splitter is shown in Fig.15(b), where the energy utilization rate exceeds 91%. The energy utilization rate can be effectively improved by further optimizing and developing the preparation process and reducing the occlusion of invalid areas. Due to the alignment error in the experiment, there is an energy distribution error of less than 6%, which can be alleviated by using a high-precision alignment device for assembly. The deflection Angle error is less than 0.04%, which can be optimized by improving the hardware facilities. The spot shape exhibits excellent consistency in long-distance application scenarios where the light source can be considered a point light source. Overall, laser beam splitters based on microprism arrays exhibit exceptional performance in achieving high energy utilization and arbitrary distribution of sub-spots.ConclusionsThe design methodology of the microprism array laser beam splitter proposed in this paper primarily focuses on solving the incident energy distribution and microprism array parameters. By analyzing various existing micro and nano processing technologies, we propose optimization and selection methods for micro-prism structures with different parameters. We conducted a design and fabrication experiment on a 1×3 array beam splitter. The performance of the microprism beam splitter was evaluated through microstructure characterization and optical testing. The results demonstrate that the prepared beam splitter achieves an energy efficiency of approximately 91%, with a spot energy distribution error below 6% and deflection angle error less than 0.4%. Compared to diffraction-based beam splitters (DOE), the beam splitter exhibits significantly improved energy efficiency and uniformity.

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    Jingsong QIN, Guodong ZHU, Mingyou GAO, Zhimin ZHANG, Weiguo ZHANG. Design and fabrication technology of micro-prism array laser beam splitter[J]. Infrared and Laser Engineering, 2025, 54(6): 20240557

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    Paper Information

    Category: Optical design and fabrication

    Received: Dec. 4, 2024

    Accepted: --

    Published Online: Jul. 1, 2025

    The Author Email:

    DOI:10.3788/IRLA20240557

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