Volume phase holographic (VPH) gratings have been designed for use in many areas of science and technology such as optical communication, medical imaging, spectroscopy and astronomy. The goal of this dissertation is to design a volume phase holographic grating that provides diffraction efficiencies of at least 70% for the entire visible wavelengths and higher than 90% for red, green, and blue light when the incident light is unpolarized. First, the complete design, simulation and optimization of the volume hologram are presented. The optimization is done using a Monte Carlo analysis to solve for the index modulation needed to provide higher diffraction efficiencies. The solutions are determined by solving the diffraction efficiency equations determined by Kogelnik's two wave coupled-wave theory. The hologram is further optimized using the rigorous coupled-wave analysis to correct for effects of absorption omitted by Kogelnik's method. Second, the fabrication or recording process of the volume hologram is described in detail. The active region of the volume hologram is created by interference of two coherent beams within the thin film. Third, the experimental set up and measurement of some properties including the diffraction efficiencies of the volume hologram, and the thickness of the active region are conducted. Fourth, the polarimetric response of the volume hologram is investigated. The polarization study is developed to provide insight into the effect of the refractive index modulation onto the polarization state and diffraction efficiency of incident light.

In this work, the technique of designing and optimizing broadband volume transmission holograms using dichromate gelatin (DCG) is summarized for solar spectrum-splitting application. Spectrum splitting photovoltaic system uses a series of single bandgap PV cells that have different spectral conversion efficiency properties to more fully utilize the solar spectrum. In such a system, one or more high performance optical filters are usually required to split the solar spectrum and efficiently send them to the corresponding PV cells. An ideal spectral filter should have a rectangular shape with sharp transition wavelengths. DCG is a near ideal holographic material for solar applications as it can achieve high refractive index modulation, low absorption and scattering properties and long-term stability to solar exposure after sealing. In this research, a methodology of designing and modeling a transmission DCG hologram using coupled wave analysis for different PV bandgap combinations is described. To achieve a broad diffraction bandwidth and sharp cut-off wavelength, a cascaded structure of multiple thick holograms is described. A search algorithm is also developed to optimize both single and two-layer cascaded holographic spectrum splitters for the best bandgap combinations of two- and three-junction SSPV systems illuminated under the AM1.5 solar spectrum. The power conversion efficiencies of the optimized systems under the AM1.5 solar spectrum are then calculated using the detailed balance method, and shows an improvement compared with tandem structure.

Optical waves propagation in various types of volume gratings, materials with constant impendence and optical fibers are studied. Instability of cross–phase modulation and of Energy transfer via GRON-type (Grating-type Orientational Nonlinearity in Liquid Crystal) Stimulated Scattering is numerically observed. Two diffractive optical elements made of volume gratings are suggested and analyzed. A transmission hologram based on the analogy with Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage (STIRAP) in nonlinear optics is proposed. This transmission hologram demonstrates high diffraction efficiency and low sensitivity to polarization and hologram strength. The other is a reflection hologram with two crossed-gratings. It features good angular selectivity in comparison with the poor angular selectivity of conventional Bragg grating mirror. This defense also contains the approximation of Maxwell equations for the description of depolarized light sources and polarization-insensitive detectors. A scalar wave equation, Z-Helmholtz equation, is proposed and discussed in the approximation of constant impedance media. As examples, this equation successfully describes a) Fresnel transmission coefficient, and b) Goose-Hanschen shift in total internal reflection, for depolarized incident light and, at the same time, polarization-insensitive detectors. Evolution of polarization during light propagation in an inhomogeneous locally isotropic medium, and also in a single-mode fiber is described by Rytov's non-rotation equation. With arbitrary chosen real unit vector, the complete description of polarization change can be described in a single rotation angle obtained from the integral of rotation rate. Based on introduction of this reference frame, a device is suggested as rigid body's rotation sensor due to polarization change in a twisted fiber.

Confocal microscopy rejects out of focus light from the object by scanning a pinhole through the object and constructing the image point by point. Volume holographic imaging (VHI) systems with bright-field illumination have been proposed as an alternative to conventional confocal type microscopes. VHI systems are an imaging modality that does not require scanning of a pinhole or a slit and thus provides video rate imaging of 3-dimensional objects. However, due to the wavelength-position degeneracy of the hologram, these systems produce less than optimal optical sectioning because the high selectivity of the volume hologram is not utilized. In this dissertation a generalized method for the design of VHI systems applied to microscopy is developed. Discussion includes the inter-relationships between the dispersive, degenerate, and depth axes of the system. Novel designs to remove the wavelength-position degeneracy and improve optical sectioning in these systems are also considered. Optimization of a fluorescence imaging system and of dual-grating confocal-rainbow designs are investigated. A ray-trace simulation that integrates the hologram diffraction efficiency and imaging results is constructed and an experimental system evaluated to demonstrate the optimization method. This results in an empirical relation between depth resolution and design tolerances. The dispersion and construction tolerances of a confocal-rainbow volume holographic imaging system are defined by the Bragg selectivity of the holograms. It is found that a broad diffraction efficiency profile of the illumination hologram with a narrow imaging hologram profile is an optimal balance between field of view, construction alignment, and depth resolution. The approach in this research is directly applicable towards imaging ovarian cells for the detection of cancer. Modeling methods, illumination design, eliminating the wavelength degeneracy of the hologram, and incorporating florescence imaging capability are emphasized in this dissertation. Results from this research may be used not only for biomedical imaging, but also for the design of volume holographic systems for both imaging and sensor applications in other fields including manufacturing (e.g. pharmaceutical), aerospace (e.g. LIDAR), and the physical sciences (e.g. climate change).

Compact and sensitive spectrometers are of high utility in biological and environmental sensing applications. Over the past half century, enormous research resources are dedicated in making the spectrometers more compact and sensitive. However, since all works are based on the same structure of the conventional spectrometers, the improvement on the performance is limited. Therefore, this ancient research filed still deserves further investigation, and a revolutionary idea is required to take the spectrometers to a whole new level. The research work presented in this thesis focuses on developing a new class of spectrometers that work based on diffractive properties of volume holograms. The hologram in these spectrometers acts as a spectral diversity filter, which maps different input wavelengths into different locations in the output plane. The experimental results show that properly designed volume holograms have excellent capability for separating different wavelength channels of a collimated incident beam. By adding a Fourier transforming lens behind the hologram, a slitless Fourier-transform volume holographic spectrometer is demonstrated, and it works well under diffuse light without using any spatial filter (i.e., slit) in the input. By further design of the hologram, a very compact slitless and lensless spectrometer is implemented for diffuse source spectroscopy by using only a volume hologram and a CCD camera. More sophisticated output patterns are also demonstrated using specially designed holograms to improve the performance of the holographic spectrometers. Finally, the performance of the holographic spectrometers is evaluated and the building of the holographic spectrometer prototype is also discussed.

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