Design of holographic optical elements by using recursive techniques

In order to record holographic optical elements, recursive design techniques were developed for obtaining complex aspheric wave fronts from a relatively simple hologram. We present the mathematical formalism of this technique with a specific illustration of a holographic Fourier transform, designed with complex wave fronts that were derived recursively from two previous holograms. Both the calculated and the experimental results demonstrate a holographic lens that can handle input angles of up to ±12° with essentially diffraction-limited performance.