Apparatus for optical beam shaping and associated methods

An apparatus for optical beam shaping, comprising an object made of a single crystalline material having crystal lattice axes configured so that, when the object is rotated about a first axis of the crystal lattice axes and an optical beam impinges a portion of a surface of the object, a first feature of a cross section of the optical beam changes, and when the object is rotated about a second axis of the crystal lattice axes and the optical beam impinges the portion, a second feature of the cross section of the optical beam changes, wherein the first feature is one of an angular orientation and an aspect ratio, the second feature is one of the angular orientation and the aspect ratio, and the second feature is different from the first feature.

An apparatus for optical beam shaping, comprising an object, wherein a portion of a surface of the object includes a pattern of texture configured so that, when the object is rotated about a first axis and an optical beam impinges said portion, a first feature of a cross section of the optical beam changes, and when the object is rotated about a second axis and the optical beam impinges the portion, the second axis is different from the first axis, a second feature of the cross section of the optical beam changes, the first feature is one of an angular orientation and an aspect ratio, the second feature is one of the angular orientation and the aspect ratio, and the second feature is different from the first feature.

A method for making an apparatus for optical beam shaping, comprising the steps of:

• (1) orientating crystal lattice axes within an object made of a single crystalline material, wherein an orientation of the crystal lattice axes is such that, when an optical beam impinges a portion of a surface of the object, at least one of a first feature and a second feature of a cross section of the optical beam changes;
• and
• (2) shaping the object to have a substantially cylindrical shape, wherein a longitudinal axis of the object coincides with an axis of the crystal lattice axes, and the object is configured to be rotated about the longitudinal axis to change the first feature of the cross section of the optical beam while maintaining the second feature of the cross section of the optical beam, the first feature is one of an angular orientation and an aspect ratio, the second feature is one of the angular orientation and the aspect ratio, and the second feature is different from the first feature.

A method for making an apparatus for optical beam shaping, comprising the steps of:

• (1) orientating crystal lattice axes within an object made of a single crystalline material, wherein an orientation of the crystal lattice axes is such that, when an optical beam impinges a portion of a surface of the object, at least one of a first feature and a second feature of a cross section of the optical beam changes;
• and
• (2) shaping the object to have a substantially spherical shape, wherein a first axis of the object coincides with a first axis of the crystal lattice axes, wherein the object is configured to be rotated about the first axis of the object to change the first feature of the cross section of the optical beam, wherein a second axis of the object coincides with a second axis of the crystal lattice axes, and wherein the object is configured to be rotated about the second axis of the object to change the aspect ratio of the cross section of the optical beam.