Light Diffractive Element with Gradient Refractive Index Microcells

The patent applies local quality by introducing a gradient refractive index structure within each microcell. The refractive index varies continuously from the center to the edge of each microcell, creating local optical property variations that enable phase shift control without requiring individual thickness adjustment of each microcell. This gradient structure allows the light diffraction element to achieve complex optical computations while maintaining uniform microcell geometry.

The patent changes the refractive index parameter within each microcell to control phase shifts, rather than changing the thickness parameter. By creating a gradient refractive index distribution where the refractive index varies continuously from the center to the edge of each microcell, the invention achieves precise optical computation while using a single uniform thickness for all microcells, significantly reducing manufacturing precision requirements.

The patent creates a universal light diffraction element design where each element has the same structural configuration and gradient refractive index distribution. This universality allows multiple identical elements to be stacked to enhance computational capability through parallel processing, while maintaining consistent alignment requirements. The standardized design enables scalable system architecture where computation performance can be improved by simply adding more identical layers rather than designing increasingly complex single elements.