In this paper, the annular folded lens (AFL) is applied to the realization of a miniaturized system for the visible and near-IR spectrums (0.45-1.1 mu m). In order to correct the chromatic aberration, a hybrid AFL is designed with the multilayer diffractive optical element (MLDOE) in which the substrate materials are precision molded glasses. We propose a new design method of the MLDOE to improve the polychromatic integral diffraction efficiency (PIDE) that makes it suitable for the optical path of the AFL. By comparing the characteristic angle weighted PIDE (CAW-PIDE), the optimal microstructure heights of the MLDOE can be obtained, and the effect of diffraction efficiency on image quality can be minimized for the entire incident angle range. The design results show that the ratio of total length to the focal length is only 0.332, and comprehensive modulation transfer function considering the diffraction efficiency is larger than 0.26 at 166 lp/mm. This study can provide a new idea for designing a broadband, miniaturized, and low-cost imaging system. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement

This paper proposes an achromatic annular folded lens (AFL) with a reflective-diffractive optical element (RDOE). We derive novel mathematical models of the diffraction efficiency and polychromatic integral diffraction efficiency (PIDE) of the RDOE and an expression for its microstructure height. An AFL with an RDOE made of an optical plastic substrate material is designed in the visible waveband. To minimize the influence of incident angle on the diffraction efficiency and PIDE, the microstructure height is optimized. The design results indicate that the lateral color of the AFL is corrected, the modulation transfer function considering the diffraction efficiency is larger than 0.25 at 111 cycles/mm for all field of views. The hybrid AFL outperforms the conventional refractive imaging system in terms of the system size, volume, and image quality under the same specifications. It can be used in new-generation miniaturized imaging systems.

In order to break through the selection limitation of substrate materials and achieve high imaging quality in the imaging wave band, the imaging diffractive optical elements is introduced to the ultrathin annular aperture imaging system. A hybrid refractive-diffractive ultrathin annular aperture imaging system is designed with four reflection structure, and the results of image quality evaluation and tolerance analysis are given. The substrate material of the hybrid refractive-diffractive ultrathin annular aperture imaging system is polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), focal length is 35 mm, and effective aperture is 29 mm. The results show that the lateral color aberration is less than 2.2 μ

In order to realize the miniaturization of the dual-band system, the monolithic compressed folding imaging lens (CFIL) is designed for infrared/laser dual-band in this paper. The relationship among the back focal length, field of view, pupil diameter, and central obscuration of the CFIL are derived. The design method of the dual-band CFIL is given, and the stray light of the CFIL can be suppressed by the double-layer hood structure. According to the design method of the CFIL, the infrared/laser dual-band can be applied by a monolithic optical element. The design results show that the minimum MTF for all fields of view in the infrared band is greater than 0.125 at 42lp/mm, the spot uniformity in the laser band is greater than 90%, and the total system length is only 0.305 times the focal length. After tolerance analysis, the MTF of CFIL is greater than 0.1, and the spot diagram is less than 880µm. The working temperature of the system is -20∼50°C, and the compensation distance is given. After stray light optimization, The point source transmittance (PST) value in the infrared band is reduced by 2 to 4 orders of magnitude, and the PST value in the laser band is reduced by 1 to 5 orders of magnitude. Compared with the traditional coaxial reflective system, the infrared/laser dual-band CFIL has only one lens, and the optical structure is compact. It provides a new idea for the integration and miniaturization of the multi-band system.

A design method of the computational flat diffractive computational flat diffractive optical system is presented to simplify the optical system structure and achieve high image quality. The aberration expression of the flat diffractive optical element (FDOE) is derived, and then computational imaging methods are used to eliminate the influence of off-axis aberration on image quality, so the field of view is expanded. Based on theoretical analysis, the FDOE is designed, and the field of view has been expanded from 2° to 5°. The results show that the detail resolution of the edge field of view is enhanced after restoration, and the modulation transfer function (MTF) of different subareas calculated using the slanted-edge method improved by an average of 0.17. The diffraction efficiency of the FDOE is greater than 95.75%. This method realizes the miniaturization and lightweight of the optical system, and provides new ideas for the integration of optical systems.

The Y field of view of an off-axis optical system is generally less than 1°. Scholars usually use a freeform surface to achieve a rectangular field of view imaging. However, it adds to the difficulty of processing, testing, assembling, and adjusting, and at the same time has the drawbacks of high manufacturing costs and long processing cycles. In view of the above problems, this paper presents a computational imaging design method for expanding the Y field of view of an off-axis optical system. This method analyzes the aberration characteristics of the optical system, creates a point spread function model based on the wavefront aberration theory and Zernike polynomials, and processes images using a spatial variation deconvolution algorithm. In this paper, we used this method to simulate an off-axis three-mirror optical system with a focal length of 260 mm, the f-number of 2.5, and a field of view of 8° × 1° and compare the images before and after processing. The results show that the processed images have a clear outline, the overall image quality is improved, the field of view is improved to 8° × 6°, and the modulation transfer function of the entire field of view is above 0.4. The off-axis optical system rectangular field of view imaging is realized without using a freeform surface.