Optimized iterative quantization algorithm for phase-only beam shaping masks

In this work, we present a novel and improved method for designing a quantized phase-only beam shaping mask. The algorithm is based on iteratively quantizing the phase while forcing the phase error to produce energy outside the area of interest. The new approach performs well for binary phase-only masks even when a gray level output distribution is required. While comparing to other well-known methods, the proposed approach Was found to have fast, simple and stable numerical convergence with low root mean square error as well as high efficiency and signal to noise ratio. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.