Photopolymerized microscopic vortex beam generators: Precise delivery of optical orbital angular momentum

Direct femtosecond laser photopolymerization is used to fabricate high resolution microscopic spiral phase plates. The total phase change all around their center is prepared to be a integer multiple of 2π for the operating wavelength in the visible domain. The optical performances of the spiral plates are measured and we propose a simple single beam interferometric technique to characterize the phase singularity of the generated vortex beams. The experimental results are compared to simulations and a satisfying agreement is obtained. Potential of large scale fabrication, templating, and smart spiral plate architectures are also illustrated.