Abstract

A device is described that makes use of three beam-splitting surfaces to produce four different beams, of which two have polarization-independent spectral-intensity distributions. If necessary, several such devices can be placed in series to produce more than two polarization-independent output beams. The devices can act over a wide spectral region, and they can be either achromatic or color selective. Multilayer coating designs, which result in beam splitters suitable for several different applications are presented. The angular behavior of such devices is investigated, and ways are suggested for reducing their variation with angle of incidence. The theoretical and measured performances of an experimentally produced device are compared.

© 1990 Optical Society of America