Optimal phase steps of multi-level spiral phase plates

We analyze vortex properties of the optical beams generated by a multi-level spiral phase plate (MLSPP) and find that this kind of beams consists of vortex components with topological charges of L − kM, where k is zero or any integer, M is the level number and L is the intrinsic topological charge of the MLSPP. We proved that the orbital angular momentum of the beams generated by a MLSPP reaches its maximum only if the phase steps (or the ratio of M to L) satisfies some special conditions.