Design and fabrication of a compact planar-integrated optical correlator

Optical correlators are the key components in various analog and digital optical free-space processing systems. The disadvantages of classical optomechanically assembled setups with respect to packaging density, reliability and production costs can be overcome with integration techniques. In planar optics all components are integrated on the surfaces of a single substrate using lithographic fabrication technologies. High light efficiency and design flexibility in the passive optical system is achieved by using multiple phase level diffractive optical elements. In this paper we present an optical Vander Lugt correlator integrated in planar optics