Modified binary Gabor zone plates

We have proposed a novel principle for design of the binary Gabor zone plate (GZP) that can produce the desired focal-plane curves. The modified GZP can be fabricated as easily as the Fresnel zone plate (FZP). The proposed GZP has great flexibility in terms of manipulating the focusing properties. Optical experiments have confirmed the reliability of the GZP in focusing light into the specified area. The investigation on the factors affecting the performance of the GZP is presented. The low cost and easy production of the element show that it can serve an alternative to refractive lens in the short wavelength region where refractive optics is not applicable owing to possible strong absorption. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.