Toward binary Gabor zone plate by modulating zones width

In this paper, a novel concept of modulated width zone plate (MWZP) is proposed to realize a binary Gabor zone plate (GZP) with single focus. By modulating the zones width as sinusoidal random distribution, higher-order foci can be effectively suppressed. The physical design is verified with numerical simulation and demonstration experiments in visible light region. The performance of the modulated width zone plate is determined by the number of zones used. It works well only when enough zones are utilized. The zone plate is easy to be fabricated employing nanofabrication technology, since it is composed of complete zones, similar to Fresnel zone plates (FZP). This work offers new opportunities for x-ray spectroscopy and microscopy in physics research.