Surface variation analysis of freeform optical systems over surface frequency bands for prescribed wavefront errors

• Published in: Optics and laser technology 2024-11, Vol.178, p.111223, Article 111223
• Main Authors: Fan, Rundong, Wei, Shili, Ji, Huiru, Qian, Zhuang, Tan, Hao, Mo, Yan, Ma, Donglin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Freeform optics; Imaging optics; Local tolerance; Surface tolerance analysis
• ISSN: 0030-3992; 1879-2545
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optlastec.2024.111223

The surface errors of freeform surfaces reflect the manufacturing complexities and significantly impact the feasibility of processing designed optical systems. With multiple degrees of freedom, freeform surfaces pose challenges in surface tolerance analysis in the field. Nevertheless, current research has neglected the influence of surface slopes on the directions of ray propagation. A sudden alteration in the surface slope will lead to a corresponding abrupt shift in the wavefront, even when the change in surface sag is minimal. Moreover, within the realm of freeform surface manufacturing, variation in surface slope across different frequency bands may give rise to unique surface variation. Within the context of this study, we propose a tolerance analysis method to analyze surface variation in freeform surfaces based on [Deng et al. Optica.9. 1039 (2022)], but further considering surface frequency band slopes based on real ray data. This approach utilizes real ray data to rapidly evaluate surface variation within a specified frequency band of surface slopes. Crucially, our proposed method yields the capability to obtain system surface variation with significant wavefront aberration perturbations, in contrast to previous methodologies. The feasibility and advantages of this framework are assessed by analyzing a single-mirror system with a single field and an off-axis two-mirror system. We expect to integrate the proposed methodology with freeform surface design and manufacturing, thereby expanding the scope of freeform optics.