Correction of 2D-telecentric scan systems with freeform surfaces

Design of a curved-target ultrashort throw projector based on predistortion and illumination precorrection

Ultrashort throw projector (UTP) technology has been a challenging research focus in the fields of large field of view and short-distance projection. In this paper, we propose a design method for a curved-target UTP based on image precorrection. A predistortion method (<1p i x e l) using a radial basis function is presented to effectively correct irregular distortion. A grayscale precorrection method is used to address uneven illumination distribution. We provide a UTP design example and verify the correction methods using two different curved targets (aspherical and freeform), demonstrating effective distortion correction (<1%) and illumination uniformity (>90%). The structure similarity index measure for the projection images shows close or greater than 0.9 correlation.

Design and fabrication of a focus-tunable liquid cylindrical lens based on electrowetting

In this study, a focus-tunable liquid cylindrical lens based on electrowetting was designed and fabricated. The cylindrical cavity usually used in common electrowetting zoom spherical lenses was replaced by a 20 mm × 10 mm × 8 mm cuboid cavity, in which the interface of two liquids formed a toroid owing to the electrowetting effect. The proposed liquid cylindrical lens can serve as either a converging or diverging lens with the response time under 110 ms by changing the supplied voltage. The zoom lens we fabricated worked stably under 0-110 V voltage for a long time, guaranteeing that the focal length of the liquid cylindrical lens can range within (-∞, -148.36 mm) ∪ (697.21 mm, +∞). By combining the liquid lens that we designed with a simple fixed cylindrical lens, a cylindrical lens system with an arbitrary focal length suitable for various tasks in beam manipulation can be realized.

Two single-axis scanners make a virtual gimbaled scanner

A 2D scan generated from two single-axis scanning mirrors often has the beam steered about two distant axes that lead to scan artifacts, such as displacement jitters, telecentric errors, and spot variations. Previously, this problem has been addressed with complicated optical and mechanical designs, such as 4f relays and gimbaled mechanics, which ultimately limit the performance of the system. Here, we show that two single-axis scanners alone can produce a 2D scanning pattern nearly identical to a single-pivot gimbaled scanner through an apparently previously undiscovered simple geometry. This finding broadens the design parameter space of beam steering applications.

Off-axis reflective imaging system design with a conicoid-based freeform surface

In this paper, we propose an off-axis reflective system design method based on a non-rotational symmetric conicoid-based freeform (CBF) surface description. The base description avoids complicated calculation of decenter and tilt when using the conventional conic expression, thus simplify the system modeling and optimization process, and it can reduce the number of coefficients that needed to represent mild freeform surfaces. A design method that includes the automatic initial system searching, preliminary optimization with rotationally symmetric surface deviation and fine-tuning with non-symmetric surface deviation is proposed. Two three-mirror systems have been designed to demonstrate the feasibility and conveniences of the proposed method.

Primary aberration optimization for double-plane symmetric beam shaping systems using a pair of curved reference surfaces

The geometric aberration of centered refracting double-plane symmetric optical systems (DPSOS) is investigated. For DPSOS with different defocus values in the tangential plane and the sagittal plane (astigmatic wavefront), a pair of curved reference surfaces which vanishes the quadratic terms of the optical path difference (OPD) between a general ray and a reference ray are deduced. With the curved reference surfaces, the primary (fourth-order) wave aberration function for DPSOS is calculated and analyzed, which can be used for beam shaping designs with astigmatic input wavefront, such as slab lasers and semiconductor lasers. Further, the proposed curved reference surfaces can be applied to analyze the aberrations of general DPSOS.

Verification of cascade optical coherence tomography for freeform optics form metrology

Freeform optical components enable dramatic advances for optical systems in both performance and packaging. Surface form metrology of manufactured freeform optics remains a challenge and an active area of research. Towards addressing this challenge, we previously reported on a novel architecture, cascade optical coherence tomography (C-OCT), which was validated for its ability of high-precision sag measurement at a given point. Here, we demonstrate freeform surface measurements, enabled by the development of a custom optical-relay-based scanning mechanism and a unique high-speed rotation mechanism. Experimental results on a flat mirror demonstrate an RMS flatness of 14 nm (∼λ/44 at the He-Ne wavelength). Measurement on a freeform mirror is achieved with an RMS residual of 69 nm (∼λ/9). The system-level investigations and validation provide the groundwork for advancing C-OCT as a viable freeform metrology technique.