Optical diffuser
JENOPTIK Optical Systems GmbH

There are numerous laser applications that require a laser beam to maintain a controlled shape and uniform power across a specific area at some distance from the source. These optical elements can achieve 3 - 5% uniformity and they can fill a shape that is round, square or arbitrary.

There are two methods to achieve this goal: a Diffractive Diffuser or a Refractive Homogenizer.

Diffractive Diffusers

A Diffractive diffuser is a type of diffractive optic that can take a laser beam and redistribute the light into virtually any pattern desired. These types of optics are used when the light source is monochromatic. Diffusers have a tightly controlled angle providing high efficiency. They are not sensitive to alignment and do not affect the polarization of the input beam. Applications like remote sensing and LIDAR/LADAR use diffusers to be able to scan a larger area quickly.