Edmund Optics, Inc.

Samuel P Sadoulet

Christopher Cummings

Byron B Taylor

The optical transfer function of imaging optics is carried out with a plurality of tilted edges with respect to the edge-response detection line. The effect of the tilt is to stretch out the edge response so that fine details can be detected even operating at a spatial frequency below the Nyquist limit of the detector. The use of multiple targets, each corresponding to a sub-region of the field of view of the optics being tested, enables the simultaneous characterization of the full field of view of the test optics with a single measurement without the use of a magnifying objective. The result is a rapid measurement and a simpler apparatus suitable for high-throughput testing. A pair of tilted edges can be used in a target to also determine the sagittal and tangential OTFs (as well as that of any other arbitrary cross-section). All of these data are acquired with a single measurement.

Tilted edge for optical-transfer-function measurement

Two integrating light pipes are optically coupled to a focusing element to produce light with uniform irradiance and intensity profiles. The first ILP stage is used to receive spatially non-uniform light from a single or multi-color source and produce a uniform irradiance distribution while leaving the intensity distribution substantially unaltered. The focusing optical element swaps the irradiance and intensity distributions received from the output of the first ILP and feeds it to a second ILP stage which, in turn, completes the spatial homogenization of the light by transforming the non-uniform irradiance received from the focusing element into an output of uniform irradiance. As a result of this sequence of transformations, a homogeneous multi-color light output, both in intensity and irradiance, is produced.

Light-pipe integrator for uniform irradiance and intensity

A reflector chamber, used to couple a light source to a downstream light-transport medium, includes a forward reflector which folds the light impinging upon it forward and a backward reflector that folds backwards the light received from the light source or the forward reflector. The two reflectors are judiciously shaped so as to maximize the energy density at the output aperture with an angle of emission within the numerical aperture of the downstream medium. The forward reflector is preferably shaped substantially flat and coplanar with the light source. The backward reflector is preferably a concave section. A diverging light reflector may be added to the output aperture of the coupler in order to increase its efficiency.

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Barrington, NJ, United States of America

Samuel P Sadoulet