Modular spiral phase plate design for orbital angular momentum generation at millimetre wavelengths

Proof of concept measurements of a modular spiral phase plate design able to generate millimetre wavelength beams with an azimuthal mode number of l = 10 are presented. The plate is comprised of ten single modules that interlock to create the full plate assembly, allowing improved machining accuracy compared to standard techniques. Therefore, this design could be used in millimetre wavelength systems that require the manipulation of large OAM modes. The plate was manufactured from polypropylene (index of refraction n ≈ 1.5), and was measured at 100GHz. A three dimensional field scanner was used to measure three near field surfaces behind the plate. Intensity measurements showed the expected OAM intensity ring, and phase measurements showed ten phase dislocations, implying proper functionality. © 2014 Optical Society of America