Groove shape characteristics of echelle gratings with high diffraction efficiency

The groove shape characteristics of echelle gratings with high diffraction efficiency are investigated. Using the coordinate transformation method (C method), an r-2 aluminum echelle with 79 grooves/mm is optimized through rigorous numerical simulations and shows high diffraction efficiency of 76-81% in the high Littrow orders. A grating is found to be essentially an echelle if it contains a series of reflective facets with a specific tilt angle that are located far from the nonworking facet of the grating and have a deep groove depth; any groove shape that meets these conditions can be called an echelle grating. The underlying mechanism is analyzed phenomenologically using electromagnetic theory. The universal model proposed here, which represents a new cognitive understanding of the concept of the echelle, is ready for use in manufacturing applications and offers a new perspective for the fabrication of these gratings.