Patent attributes
Microlens arrays are defined with microlens elements that differ from each other in accordance with a probability distribution for shaping an optical beam having a prescribed intensity profile within a desired far-field scatter pattern. The differences include random variations in a sag profile corresponding to a surface shape of the microlenses, a boundary profile corresponding to a boundary of the microlenses, and a spatial distribution corresponding to the relative position of the microlenses within the array. The sag profile variations can be used to homogenize an intensity profile of the optical beam. The boundary profile variations within an irregular spatial distribution can be used to apply the prescribed intensity profile of the optical beam within the desired scatter pattern.
