Optical scanning holography (OSH) [1] has the benefit of recording the entire three-dimensional (3-D) volume of a specimen in the form of a two-dimensional (2-D) hologram. Reconstruction of the original volume can be accomplished by applying digital reconstruction or decoding techniques to the recorded hologram. Accurate reconstruction of the 3-D volume and more specifically, the individual 2-D optical sections without artifacts such as out-of-focus haze from adjacent sections has been the focus of much work including algorithms, optical techniques, and combinations of the two. This dissertation presents several different techniques for enhancing the reconstruction of a recorded specimen and its optical sections including the use of optical coding and phase filtering techniques in the traditional OSH optical system. / Ph. D.

The objective of this work is to develop a near-infrared laser device capable of emitting orbital angular momentum (OAM) light. The prototyped device must be suitable for compact, energy-saving optical communication applications. Integrated OAM lasers will revolutionize high-capacity data transmission over any telecommuni- cation network environment, as OAM light can be guided and transmitted through kilometers of optical fibers and propagated in free space and underwater. Several methods for generating OAM light employing various complex monolithic and hybrid integration methods have been demonstrated. In this work, microscale integrated spiral phase plates (SPPs) are chosen to convert the laser beam output into an OAM mode. The concept and design fundamentals of SPPs are discussed, followed by the SPP fabrication process and their implementation in a high-speed communication setup and then integration with a semiconductor laser. SPPs are fabricated by a novel direct laser writing that provides the possibility to rapidly prototype 3D photonic structures via a two-photon polymerization pro- cess. After fabrication, SPPs are used in a fine-tuned free-space optical experimental setup that requires high-precision intercomponent alignment to test the high-speed OAM communication system and analyze the quality of OAM modes, resulting in high-purity OAM signals at data rates up to 1.8 Gbit/s – limited by the avalanche photodetector (APD) frequency response. The fabricated 20-μm-diameter SPPs were the smallest reported in the literature to date for optical characterization. A proof-of-concept monolithic light-emitting array, as a highly integrated OAM laser source, is further proposed for telecommunications and other applications. SPP-integrated 940-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) array chips that are relatively low-cost, have a small footprint, and are manufacturable in high volumes are developed. SPPs with topological charge modulus values from 1 to 3 are fabricated on the VCSEL arrays, demonstrating OAM modal purities up to ∼65%. The experimentally evaluated data rates in the OAM setup showed consistently sta- ble links up to 2.0 Gbit/s with a bit error ratio of ∼ 1.6 × 10−8 (APD-limited). The challenges of SPP-laser integration are summarized, with the conclusion that the widespread adoption of OAM is limited by the availability of practical integrated solutions for OAM generation and detection.

Il est bien connu dans la théorie de Maxwell que le rayonnement électromagnétique (EM) d'une onde porte à la fois du moment linéaire (énergie) et du moment angulaire. Ce dernier possède deux parties: le Moment Angulaire de Spin (ou SAM) qui est également connu sous le nom de la polarisation et le Moment Angulaire Orbital (ou OAM). Le SAM ne comprend que deux états (gauche et droite) et est utilisé en télécommunications pour doubler la capacité du canal. Par contre, le moment angulaire orbital (OAM) peut en théorie, avoir un nombre infini d'états appelés les modes OAM. Par conséquent, en radiofréquences, les premières applications de l'OAM ont été proposées dans le domaine des communications sans fil. Mais, tout d'abord, il est nécessaire de développer des antennes générant de telles ondes. L'objectif de cette thèse est de concevoir des antennes pour générer des ondes ayant un OAM. Le manuscrit se décompose en trois parties. Dans la première partie, un réseau d'antennes « patches » utilisant un déphaseur original est développé et testé. Ce réseau génère une onde ayant de l'OAM. Dans la deuxième partie, une cavité Fabry-Perot (FP) est utilisée pour apporter plus de directivité à ce réseau d'antennes. Enfin, la troisième partie consiste à générer des ondes guidées possédant du moment OAM. Ces ondes ont ensuite été utilisées pour exciter des antennes en cornet et rayonner des faisceaux directifs transportant du moment angulaire orbital. / It is well known from Maxwell’s theory that electromagnetic (EM) radiation carries both linear momentum (energy) and angular momentum. The latter has two parts: Spin Angular Momentum (SAM) which corresponds to the polarization of an EM wave and Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) which is associated with the spatial distribution of an EM wave. The SAM has only two states (left and right) and is used to double the channel capacity in telecommunications. On the other hand, the OAM can theoretically have an infinite number of states called the OAM modes. Therefore, the first applications of OAM have been proposed in wireless communications at radio frequencies. However, first of all, it is necessary to develop the antennas for generating such waves. The objective of this thesis is to design the antennas for the generation of radio waves bearing OAM. The manuscript contains three parts. In the first part, an antenna using 4 patches and an original phase shifter is developed and tested to generate an OAM wave. In the second part, a Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity is used to enhance the directivity of this antenna. The third part is to generate guided OAM waves. Some horn antennas are used to radiate these waves with good directivity.