||||||IIIHHHHHHHHHH USOOS 4834A United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 5,148,314 Chen 45) Date of Patent: Sep
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
||||||IIIHHHHHHHHHH USOOS 4834A United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 5,148,314 Chen 45) Date of Patent: Sep. 15, 1992 54) OPTICAL SYSTEMS EMPLOYING Primary Examiner-Janice A. Howell REFRACTIVE AND DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL Assistant Examiner-Kiet T. Nguyen ELEMENTS TO CORRECT FOR CHROMATIC ABERRATION 57 ABSTRACT Optical structures are disclosed that comprise selected 76 Inventor: Chungte W. Chen, 33 Allegheny, combinations of refractive and diffractive type optical Irvine, Calif. 92720 elements wherein net chromatic aberrational effects are 21 Appl. No.: 710,859 minimized in images formed by said structures. With the disclosed structures, chromatic aberrational contribu 22 Filed: Jun. 6, 1991 tions from each type of optical element, having charac 51) Int. Cl................................................. GO2B5/OO teristically opposite algebraic sense, are essentially can 52 U.S. C. ...................................... 359/642; 359/16; celled out by means of proper distribution of optical 359/797 power plus suitable arrangement and relative location 58 Field of Search .......................... 359/642, 797, 16 of the said optical elements. Advantages over the prior 56 References Cited art are demonstrated in four general types of optical Structures. U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 5,044,706 9/1991 Chen ................................... 359/356 10 Claims, 8 Drawing Sheets N s U.S. Patent Sep. 15, 1992 Sheet 1 of 8 5,148,314 Fig. 1. Fig. 3. CLASS - REFRACTIVE ACHROMAT U.S. Patent Sep. 15, 1992 Sheet 2 of 8 5,148,314 O Fig. 4d. N 3 N Fig. 5b. U.S. Patent Sep. 15, 1992 Sheet 3 of 8 5,148,314 Fig. 7b. 02 U.S. Patent Sep. 15, 1992 Sheet 4 of 8 5,148,314 E. t ESH V TV 3. 3 2 U.S. Patent Sep. 15, 1992 Sheet 5 of 8 5,148,314 Fig. 9. -N- TANGENTIAL 2 SACTTAL DYMM DX, MM 0.0200 3 -0.0200 0.0200 0.0200 -0.0200 - 0.0200 U.S. Patent Sep. 15, 1992 Sheet 6 of 8 5,148,314 Fig 10. --- TANGENTAL SACTTAL DY. MM DX, MM 0.0200 0.0200 0.0200 2 i -0.0200 0.0200 0.0200 2 2 -0.0200 -0.0200 - 700 O 700 - 700 O 700 YREFS MM XREFsMM U.S. Patent Sep. 15, 1992 Sheet 7 of 8 5,148,314 Fig 11. 0. 0000 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 000 SPATAL FREQUENCY (CYCLES /MM) 6000 000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 100.0 SPATAL FREQUANCY (CYCLES/MM) U.S. Patent Sep. 15, 1992 Sheet 8 of 8 5,148,314 Fig. 14. ----- - TANGENTIAL SACTTA DY MM DX, MM 0.0200 2 -0.0200 0.0200 2 -0.0200 0.0200 2 2 - -5.000 O 5,000 - 5,000 O 15,000 YREFs XREFs 5,148,314 1. 2 cona, axial primary color, and axial secondary color are OPTICAL SYSTEMS EMPLOYING REFRACTIVE aggravated severely. Similarly, as field of view in AND DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENTS TO creases, chromatic distortion and chromatic coma are CORRECT FOR CHROMATIC ABERRATION aggravated severely. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION All optical systems suffer from image aberrations. The present invention has many important and novel The ultimate quality and performance of an optical features. Many deficiencies of the prior art are substan system is determined by the extent to which aberrations, tially reduced or eliminated, such as those associated particularly chromatic aberrations, are corrected. In the O with f-number and field of view. Several kinds of chro present invention, significant improvement is achieved matic aberration are corrected including axial primary, over the prior art by minimizing chromatic aberrations. axial secondary, lateral primary, and lateral secondary. Additional advantages are obtained by reducing the Correction is provided for all orders of spherochroma number of optical elements needed to achieve equiva tism, chromatic coma, and chromatic distortion. In the lent or superior results. 5 spectral intervals between the three selected design The present invention relates generally to improved wavelengths, residual chromatic aberrations are signifi structure for assemblies of optical systems in which cantly reduced. refractive and diffractive optical elements are combined In addition, a novel method is disclosed for correct advantageously to achieve significant improvement in ing field curvature for all orders without introducing chromatic aberration. The diverse characteristic prop 20 lateral chromatic aberrations. Because elements made of erties of these two types of optical elements are can special optical glass need not be employed, cost is re celled out by suitably opposing and balancing these duced and substantial resistance to radiation damage is properties against each other to achieve hitherto unob obtained. Finally, because these improvements are tainable image quality. achieved with fewer optical elements in the optical In the prior art, achromatic lens assemblies have been 25 employed with limited success since the time of Isaac structure, cost, size, and weight are reduced. Newton. In these achromats, two optical elements (one The use of this invention will improve significantly with positive power and one with negative power) the image quality of optical systems including both made from conventional glass materials (e.g. crown and refractive and catadioptric types and will apply over flint glass) with differing dispersive characteristics are 30 wavelengths ranging from the ultraviolet to the infra combined to reduce net chromatic aberrational effects. red. The structure disclosed for axial chromatic aberra Ever increasing sophistication with both methods and tion, axial secondary color, and spherochromatism is materials has been applied to the fundamental problem well suited for telephoto lens systems. The structure of correcting chromatic aberration, and powerful com that is disclosed to correct lateral chromatic aberration, putational methods combined with development of 35 secondary lateral color, chromatic distortion and chro special glass materials have achieved significant in matic coma is particularly effective for optical systems provement. It is typical of such effort, however, that employing external pupils. The structure disclosed for ever Smaller incremental gains are achieved at continu correcting field curvature without aggravating lateral ally increasing cost. chromatic aberration is particularly useful for optical In examples of the immediate prior art, the use of 40 systems with wide fields of view and for systems en binary optics has been proposed (reference 1) to correct ploying Petzval type lenses. axial chromatic aberration in an infrared optical system The considerable advantages of this invention are and (reference 2) to correct primary lateral chromatic achieved through the use of carefully selected combina aberration without aggravating the secondary chro tions and distributions of refractive and diffractive op matic aberration of an Erfle eyepiece. 45 tics that are employed so that net resulting aberrational Reference 1 is a paper by Gary. J. Swanson and Wii effects are substantially reduced relative to what can be fred. B. Veldcamp, SPIE Poceedings, Vol. 885, Paper achieved with the exclusive use of refractive optical #22, 1988. They propose using binary optics to correct components. axial chromatic aberration. In binary optics, the func Examples of typical wavelength response will dern tional effect of a grating is achieved with grooves that SO onstrate the value of forming optical structures employ are etched with typical fabrication processes employed ing this invention. Chromatic aberrations result from in microelectronics. Their system has serious deficien the varying characteristic response as a function of cies, because as numerical aperture increases, marked wavelength for the optical element. An important ex spherochromatism is exhibited. Consequently, the mini ample is the variation of focal length along the central mum useable f-number is severly limited. This limitation 55 axis. For a typical glass achromat, consider that the is particularly unfortunate in advanced infrared optical effective focal length (EFL) as a function of wave systems that require low f-numbers (typically f/1.0 to length exhibits a minimum value near the central wave f/1.5) to help reduce size and weight. length region over which it operates. On the other Reference 2 is by D. Shafer and T. McHugh of the hand, a corresponding EFL of a typical glass-diffractive Perkin-Elmer Corporation: "Binary Optics Design Sur achromat exhibits a maximum value near its central prises for the 1990's,” SPIE, Orlando, Fla (March wavelength region of operation. As will be explained 1989). Binary optics are used to correct lateral chro subsequently, these characteristic aberrations of oppo matic aberration of an Erfle eyepiece without aggravat site algebraic sense can be matched so that they essen ing secondary chromatic aberration. Unfortunately, tially cancel each other to reduce overall chromatic their approach is applicable only to systems with low 65 aberration in the complete lens structure. Finally, the numerical aperture (high f-number) and modest fields of special optical glasses that are eliminated have at least view, as is characteristic of the Erfle eyepiece. As the two disadvantages: they are more expensive and have aperture stop is opened, spherochromatism, chromatic substantially less resistance to damage from radiation. 5,148,314 3 4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DETALED DESCRIPTION OF THE The advantages and novel features of the disclosed DISCLOSURE invention will be appreciated readily by persons skilled In the following detailed description and in the sev in the art from the following detailed description when 5 eral figures provided, like elements are identified with read in conjunction with the drawings herein. like reference numerals. FIG. 1 illustrates a typical conventional achromatic To assure good image quality, typical high quality lens (glass-refractive) employing an assembly or struc optical systems require proper corrections for chro ture of two refractive optical elements. A positive ele matic aberrational effects. These aberrations include ment of crown glass and a negative element offlint glass O primary axial color, primary lateral color, secondary are employed.