Abstract: A polarized light microscope includes a light source configured to illuminate a specimen and an imaging sensor configured to capture an image of the specimen. The polarized light microscope also includes a first circular polarizer positioned between the light source and the specimen. A birefringent mosaic mask is positioned between the specimen and the imaging sensor. The polarized light microscope also includes a second polarizer positioned between the mask and the imaging sensor.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an optical element includes providing a substrate of a transparent material in which is to be formed a plurality of birefringent nanostructures spaced apart; generating from the output of a source of femtosecond laser pulses a laser beam group comprising a plurality of focused seeding beams having a circular polarisation; directing the laser beam group onto the surface of the substrate at a first position and applying one or more femtosecond laser pulses from each beam to corresponding volumes in the substrate; repeatedly translating the laser beam group relative to the substrate parallel to the line of seeding beams; translating the laser beam group relative to the substrate and repeating the repeated translation and application of the femtosecond laser pulses; wherein the relative translation of the laser beam group and the substrate aligns the writing beam with successive corresponding volumes.

Abstract: A method of delivering optical pulses to a substrate comprises directing a focused beam from a source of optical pulses along a propagation direction onto a substrate; moving the substrate relative to the beam in a plane substantially orthogonal to the propagation direction and continuously along a first direction that includes spaced apart row locations on the substrate, and delivering a plurality of optical pulses from source as the beam reaches each row location; and between delivering the optical pulses at consecutive row locations, moving the beam relative to the substrate in one or more successive discrete movements along a second direction in the plane orthogonal to the first direction, to direct the beam to one or more spaced apart column locations on the substrate, and delivering a plurality of optical pulses from the source at each column location.

Abstract: A method of delivering optical energy to a substrate comprises applying a temporal group of optical pulses to a region of the substrate, wherein the temporal group comprises twenty or fewer pulses of a femtosecond pulse duration, arranged as a first subgroup of pulses comprising up to three pulses followed by a second subgroup of pulses comprising the remaining pulses in the temporal group; and wherein energies of the pulses are controlled such that pulses in the first subgroup have a first energy per pulse and pulses in a second subgroup of pulses have a second energy per pulse which is less than the first energy.

Abstract: An optical element for modifying an incident laser beam propagated through the optical element from an input face to an output face via a geometric phase birefringent effect, the optical element comprising: a substrate of a transparent amorphous material with an input face and an opposite output face; and a structural modification in a volume of the substrate between the input face and output face comprising a plurality of randomly positioned nanostructures; wherein each nanostructure has a oblate spheroidal shape with an elliptical cross section in a plane parallel to the input face, the elliptical cross-section having a minor axis substantially not larger than 30 nm and a major axis greater than the minor axis, and each nanostructure having a length in a direction perpendicular to the input face which is substantially not larger than 100 nm.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an optical element comprises: providing a substrate (1, 50) of a transparent material in which is to be formed a plurality of birefringent nanostructures spaced apart in plane substantially parallel to a surface of the substrate in a first direction (2) by a distance X and in a second direction (3) by a distance Y; generating from the output of a source (20) of femtosecond laser pulses a laser beam group comprising a plurality of focused seeding beams (44) having a circular polarisation and spaced apart along a line by the distance X and a focused writing beam (26) having a non-circular polarisation and spaced apart from one of the seeding beams by the distance Y or the distance X; directing the laser beam group onto the surface of the substrate at a first position and applying one or more femtosecond laser pulses from each beam to corresponding volumes in the substrate; repeatedly translating the laser beam group relative to the substrate parallel to the line of seeding beams and alon

Abstract: A method of fabricating an optical element comprises: providing a substrate of a transparent material; applying a plurality of circularly polarised focused femtosecond laser pulses to a volume within the substrate to create substantially spherical nanopores in the volume; and applying at least one and not more than ten non-circularly polarised focused femtosecond laser pulses to the volume to transform the spherical nanopores into oblate spheroidal nanopores.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an optical element comprises providing a substrate of a transparent material; and applying one or more focused femtosecond pulses of laser light with an elliptical polarisation to a volume within the substrate to create at least one nanostructure in the volume.

Abstract: A method of delivering optical energy to a substrate comprises applying a temporal group of optical pulses to a region of the substrate, wherein the temporal group comprises twenty or fewer pulses of a femtosecond pulse duration, arranged as a first subgroup of pulses comprising up to three pulses followed by a second subgroup of pulses comprising the remaining pulses in the temporal group; and wherein energies of the pulses are controlled such that pulses in the first subgroup have a first energy per pulse and pulses in a second subgroup of pulses have a second energy per pulse which is less than the first energy.

Abstract: A method of delivering optical pulses to a substrate comprises directing a focused beam from a source of optical pulses along a propagation direction onto a substrate; moving the substrate relative to the beam in a plane substantially orthogonal to the propagation direction and continuously along a first direction that includes spaced apart row locations on the substrate, and delivering a plurality of optical pulses from source as the beam reaches each row location; and between delivering the optical pulses at consecutive row locations, moving the beam relative to the substrate in one or more successive discrete movements along a second direction in the plane orthogonal to the first direction, to direct the beam to one or more spaced apart column locations on the substrate, and delivering a plurality of optical pulses from the source at each column location.

Abstract: An optical element for modifying an incident laser beam propagated through the optical element from an input face to an output face via a geometric phase birefringent effect, the optical element comprising: a substrate of a transparent amorphous material with an input face and an opposite output face; and a structural modification in a volume of the substrate between the input face and output face comprising a plurality of randomly positioned nanostructures; wherein each nanostructure has a oblate spheroidal shape with an elliptical cross section in a plane parallel to the input face, the elliptical cross-section having a minor axis substantially not larger than 30 nm and a major axis greater than the minor axis, and each nanostructure having a length in a direction perpendicular to the input face which is substantially not larger than 100 nm.

Abstract: This patent describes an optical element, which converts incident linearly or circularly polarized visible light into radially or azimuthally polarized light beam. The polarization converter is a single optical element, produced by direct laser writing technique in an optically transparent substrate. Direct laser writing based on ultra-short pulsed laser radiation forms form birefringence self-assembled nanogratings in optically transparent material, such as fused silica. The period of gratings is smaller than wavelengths of a visible light.

Abstract: This patent describes an optical element, which converts incident linearly or circularly polarized visible light into radially or azimuthally polarized light beam. The polarization converter is a single optical element, produced by direct laser writing technique in an optically transparent substrate. Direct laser writing based on ultra-short pulsed laser radiation forms form birefringence self-assembled nanogratings in optically transparent material, such as fused silica. The period of gratings is smaller than wavelengths of a visible light.