Diffractive Alvarez lens

A diffractive Alvarez lens is demonstrated that consists of two separate phase plates, each having complementary 16-level surface-relief profiles that contain cubic phase delays. Translation of these two components in the plane of the phase plates is shown to produce a variable astigmatic focus. Both spherical and cylindrical phase profiles are demonstrated with good accuracy, and the discrete surface-relief features ale shown to cause less than lambda/10 wave-front aberration in the transmitted wave front over a 40 mm x 80 mm region. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America.