Optimized design for realizing a large and uniform 2-D spot array

In this paper we derive an optimal analytical solution for a phase only optical mask generating a two-dimensional (2-D) array of spots with uniform energy (i.e., the integral over the shape of each spot). In previous methods the constraint while generating a 2-D array of spots was the uniformity in the peak value of each spot. In the presented approach the improved performance is obtained by applying mathematical optimization, while the constraints are set to have equal energetic content in each one of the spots. c 2010 Optical Society of America