Dual grating filtering system

A light manipulating assembly for manipulating an input beam of light having a plurality of wavelength components so as to provide an output beam of light, said assembly comprising:

• an input section disposed in the path of the input beam, said input section dividing the input beam into a first plurality of polarized beamlets that travel along a corresponding plurality of spatially separated beamlet paths;
• a beamlet manipulator disposed in the beamlet paths so as to manipulate at least one of the first plurality of polarized beamlets in a spatially dependent manner, said beamlet manipulator providing a second plurality of polarized beamlets;
• and
• an output section disposed so as to receive the second plurality of polarized beamlets exiting the beamlet manipulator, said output section constructing the output beam from the second plurality of polarized beamlets, wherein the first plurality of polarized beamlets comprises (a) plurality of desired beamlets corresponding to a plurality of desired wavelength components of the input beam and (b) a plurality of unwanted beamlets corresponding to a plurality of unwanted wavelength components of the input beam, wherein the second plurality of polarized beamlets comprises the plurality of desired beamlets, wherein the beamlet manipulator comprises a filter section, said filter section attenuating the unwanted beamlets said filter section passing the desired beamlets, and wherein the filter section comprises an opaque material having a plurality of apertures, said filter section disposed so that the plurality of desired beamlets are aligned with the plurality of apertures, and the plurality of unwanted beamlets are not aligned with the plurality of apertures.

A light filtering system for filtering a first and second input beam of light having respective first and second pluralities of desired wavelength components and respective first and second pluralities of unwanted wavelength components, the system comprising:

• an input section disposed in the paths of the first and second input beams, said input section dividing the first and second input beams into respective first and second pluralities of polarized beamlets that travel along respective first and second pluralities of spatially separated beam paths, said first and second pluralities of polarized beamlets comprising (a) respective first and second pluralities of desired beamlets corresponding to the desired wavelength components of the first and second input beams and (b) respective first and second pluralities of unwanted beamlets corresponding to the unwanted wavelength components of the first and second input beams;
• a filter section disposed in the first and second beam paths, said filter section attenuating the first and second pluralities of unwanted beamlets, said filter section passing the first and second pluralities of desired beamlets;
• and
• an output section disposed so as to receive the first and second pluralities of desired beamlets from the filter section, said output section spatially combining the first plurality of desired beamlets so as to provide a first filtered output beam that comprises the desired wavelength components of the first input beam, said output section spatially combining the second plurality of desired beamlets so as to provide a second filtered output beam that comprises the desired wavelength components of the second input beam, wherein the input section comprises an optical compensator disposed in the paths of the first plurality of polarized beamlets and wherein the input section further comprises a diffractive element, said optical compensator modifying the paths of the first plurality of polarized beamlets so as to reduce the differences between the geometry of the first plurality of polarized beamlets and the geometry of the second plurality of polarized beamlets at the diffractive element.

A light filtering system for filtering a first and second input beam of light having respective first and second pluralities of desired wavelength components and respective first and second pluralities of unwanted wavelength components, the system comprising:

• an input section disposed in the paths of the first and second input beams, said input section dividing the first and second input beams into respective first and second dividing the first and second input beams into respective first and second pluralities of polarized beamlets that travel along respective first and second pluralities of spatially separated beam paths, said first and second pluralities of polarized beamlets comprising (a) respective first and second pluralities of desired beamlets corresponding to the desired wavelength components of the first and second input beams and (b) respective first and second pluralities of unwanted beamlets corresponding to the unwanted wavelength components of the first and second input beams;
• a filter section disposed in the first and second beam paths, said filter section attenuating the first and second pluralities of unwanted beamlets, said filter section passing the first and second pluralities of desired beamlets;
• and
• an output section disposed so as to receive the first and second pluralities of desired beamlets from the filter section, said output section spatially combining the first plurality of desired beamlets so as to provide a first filtered output beam that comprises the desired wavelength components of the first input beam, said output section spatially combining the second plurality of desired beamlets so as to provide a second filtered output beam that comprises the desired wavelength components of the second input beam, wherein the output section comprises an optical compensator disposed in the paths of the first plurality of desired beamlets and wherein the output section further comprises a diffractive element, said optical compensator modifying the paths of the first plurality of desired beamlets so as to reduce the differences between the geometry of the first plurality of desired beamlets and the geometry of the second plurality of desired beamlets at the diffractive element.

A light filtering system for filtering a first and second input beam of light having respective first and second pluralities of desired wavelength components and respective first and second pluralities of unwanted wavelength components, the system comprising:

• an input section disposed in the paths of the first and second input beams, said input section dividing the first and second input beams into respective first and second pluralities of polarized beamlets that travel along respective first and second pluralities of spatially separated beam paths, said first and second pluralities of polarized beamlets comprising (a) respective first and second pluralities of desired beamlets corresponding to the desired wavelength components of the first and second input beams and (b) respective first and second pluralities of unwanted beamlets corresponding to the unwanted wavelength components of the first and second input beams;
• a filter section disposed in the first and second beam paths, said filter section attenuating the first and second pluralities of unwanted beamlets, said filter section passing the first and second pluralities of desired beamlets;
• and
• an output section disposed so as to receive the first and second pluralities of desired beamlets from the filter section, said output section spatially combining the first plurality of desired beamlets so as to provide a first filtered output beam that comprises the desired wavelength components of the first input beam, said output section spatially combining the second plurality of desired beamlets so as to provide a second filtered output beam that comprises the desired wavelength components of the second input beam, wherein the input section comprises a single focusing element that receives the first and second pluralities of polarized beamlets and focuses the first and second pluralities of polarized beamlets in a focal plane.

A light filtering assembly for filtering an input beam of light having a plurality of desired wavelength components and a plurality of unwanted wavelength components, the assembly comprising:

• an input section disposed in the path of the input beam, said input section dividing the input beam into a plurality of polarized beamlets that travel along a corresponding plurality of spatially separated beam paths, said plurality of polarized beamlets comprising (a) a plurality of desired beamlets corresponding to the desired wavelength components and (b) a plurality of unwanted beamlets corresponding to the unwanted wavelength components;
• a filter section disposed in the beam paths, said filter section attenuating the unwanted beamlets, said filter section passing the desired beamlets;
• and
• an output section disposed so as to receive the desired beamlets from the filter section, said output section spatially combining the desired beamlets so as to provide a filtered output beam comprising the desired wavelength components of the input beam, wherein the input section comprises a polarization converter disposed so as to receive the input beam, said polarization converter converting the input beam into at least one s-polarized beam which comprises a first and second s-polarized beam that travel in substantially parallel directions, wherein the input section further comprises a light dispersing element for dispersing the first and second s-polarized beams into the plurality of polarized beamlets, said light dispersing element comprising a diffraction grating, and a focusing element that receives the plurality of polarized beamlets from the light dispersing element, said focusing element focusing the plurality of polarized beamlets in a focal plane.

A light filtering assembly for filtering an input beam of light having a plurality of desired wavelength components and a plurality of unwanted wavelength components, the assembly comprising:

• an input section disposed in the path of the input beam, said input section dividing the input beam into a plurality of polarized beamlets that travel along a corresponding plurality of spatially separated beam paths, said plurality of polarized beamlets comprising (a) a plurality of desired beamlets corresponding to the desired wavelength components and (b) a plurality of unwanted beamlets corresponding to the unwanted wavelength components;
• a filter section disposed in the beam paths, said filter section attenuating the unwanted beamlets, said filter section passing the desired beamlets;
• and
• an output section disposed so as to receive the desired beamlets from the filter section, said output section spatially combining the desired beamlets so as to provide a filtered output beam comprising the desired wavelength components of the input beam, wherein the output section comprises a collimating element disposed so as to receive the desired beamlets from the filter section, said collimating element collimating the desired beamlets.

A light filtering system for filtering a first and second input beam of light having respective first and second pluralities of desired wavelength components and respective first and second pluralities of unwanted wavelength components, the system comprising:

• an input section disposed in the paths of the first and second input beams, said input section dividing the first and second input beams into respective first and second pluralities of polarized beamlets that travel along respective first and second pluralities of spatially separated beam paths, said first and second pluralities of polarized beamlets comprising (a) respective first and second pluralities of desired beamlets corresponding to the desired wavelength components of the first and second input beams and (b) respective first and second pluralities of unwanted beamlets corresponding to the unwanted wavelength components of the first and second input beams;
• a filter section disposed in the first and second beam paths, said filter section attenuating the first and second pluralities of unwanted beamlets, said filter section passing the first and second pluralities of desired beamlets;
• and
• an output section disposed so as to receive the first and second pluralities of desired beamlets from the filter section, said output section spatially combining the first plurality of desired beamlets so as provide a first filtered output beam that comprises the desired wavelength components of the first input beam, said output section spatially combining the second plurality of desired beamlets so as to provide a second filtered output beam that comprises the desired wavelength components of the second input beam, wherein the output section comprises a collimating element disposed so as to receive the first and second pluralities of desired beamlets from the filter section, said collimating element collimating the first and second pluralities of desired beamlets.