Polarization beam-splitters and optical switches based on space-variant computer-generated subwavelength quasi-periodic structures

Polarization beam-splitters and optical switches based on subwavelength qupsi-periodic structures are presented. By locally controlling the orientation and period of the subwavelength grooves, birefringent elements for which the optical axes vary periodically, are realized. We present a theoretical discussion of these elements, as well as a detailed description of the design and realization procedures. We show experimental results for infra-red radiation at a wavelength of 10.6 mum. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.