Surface irregularity of optical elements is one of the errors caused in manufacturing process, which has a bad influence on optical system image quality. This image quality deterioration can’t be neglected especially in some all-reflective optical systems. A method by rotating the mirrors for compensating the surface irregularity is put forward in the paper. Firstly, the surface irregularity of all the mirrors is analyzed and the most closely matched mirrors are chosen for one set of system alignment. Then, the wavefront characteristic of optical system and the surface irregularity of each mirror represented by Zernike polynomial are studied, and the relationship between them is analyzed. The calculation of the rotate angle is described in detail. A numerical simulation of the method has been performed for two sets of three-mirror optical system to verify the ability and accuracy of the method. The results show that the astigmatism of the optical system caused by the surface irregularity can be decreased and the image quality of both the two systems can be improved effectively. The method is especially suitable for multiple sets of optical systems alignment.
Surface irregularity of optical elements is one of the errors caused in manufacturing process. The primary aberration
caused by surface irregularity is astigmatism which can hardly be removed in traditional alignment method. An
alignment method by rotating the lens for compensating the deterioration of the image quality caused by surface
irregularity is put forward in the paper, and the mathematical model of the method is established. The calculation of the
rotate angle is described in detail. A numerical simulation of the method has been performed for a four-lens precision
optical system to verify the ability and accuracy of the method. The results show that the astigmatism of the optical
system caused by the surface irregularity can completely be removed, and the image quality can be improved effectively.
The method is especially suitable for the optical system which demands a very high image quality.
Computer-Aided Alignment (CAA) is an effective method for improving image quality of an optical system, which is implemented by aberration compensation technique. This paper studies some key techniques of CAA, including the mathematical model of CAA, the selecting of the aberration compensator, the establishment of sensitivity matrix and the solution of misalignment. A numerical simulation of CAA has been performed for a four-lens precision optical system to verify the ability and accuracy of the method. Comparisons of the image qualities between the pre-alignment and post alignment systems are also presented. These results indicate that the CAA method is feasible. It can not only meet the precision requirement, but also accelerate the convergence of alignment solutions. This method is realized by compensation among variables, so the variables are reduced and the time of alignment is saved.
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