A diffractive/refractive system with a relative aperture of f/4.0, the EFL of 150mm at 3.7-4.8μm is designed. A
diffractive optical element (DOE) is fabricated by means of diamond turning on a conic substrate of the Germanium
lens in this system. The characteristics of the diffractive optical element are analyzed in the software of Diffsys. And the
zone radius of DOE and step height are detected by profilometry and result is produced. Test results of DOE are
coincided with the design figures and the DOE has tiny surface error and high diffractive efficiency. Result of
Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) for the system is tested by Ealing and the tested value is closely approximate to
diffractive limit. The DOE has better behaviour of chromatic aberration and athermalization.
Based on the spectral characteristics of the target, dual spectral imaging system is conducted in target
detection. The dual spectral system has simultaneously less false alarm probability and widened operating
distance,
There are many models of dual spectral system, such as ultraviolet and visible light, visible light and near
infrared, mid-IR and long-IR system and etc. The principle of dual spectral system is described, and especially
the paper studied deeply hybrid refractive-reflective dual-band system; refractive mid-IR and long-IR system.
A designed sample of part-optics-light-path refractive detection system based on the application of re-imaging
and 100% cold shield efficiency is given which is operating in the 3.7~4.8μm and 7.7~10.3μm wavelength
bands and the rectification of the ray aberrations in both bands has been simultaneously accomplished.
Because of the same aperture, field of view and focal length, the dual spectral optical images can be coupled
and be simultaneously displayed in one picture.
The microscanning technique can improve a detector's capabilities in infrared focal plane array imaging. A
common way to realize the microscanning technique is to utilize an actuator to make a reflector swing.
Here a novel microscanning device is presented in this paper. The principle is on the condition that a spring
subassembly matches the actuator, a reflector swings with high frequency. There are two methods of realizing the novel
device. One is that the output of the spring subassembly is set as a variable parameter, so the spring subassembly and
other elements make up of a spring system. Controlling the frequency and amplitude of the spring subassembly can
realize the microscanning function. The other one is that the output of the spring subassembly is set as an invariable
parameter, controlling the rotary acceleration of the reflector can realize the microscanning function.
The different controllable modes of the two methods are established. In the two methods, controllable parameters
are the rigidity coefficient of the spring, the advance compressing distance of the spring, the distance between the axis of
the actuator and the rotary axis of the reflector, the rotary inertia of rotary units.
The experiments show that the two methods all can realize the novel device, and the second method is better than
the first one.
With the principle of mechanical passive athermalization, a method of making the dual field-of-view (DFOV) switching
zoom system for passive athermalization is presented. The long effective focal length (EFL) and short EFL have the
same focus shift values of temperature by optical material combination of switching groups. So the long EFL and short
EFL of this system achieve the best temperature compensation simultaneously by moving the compensated lens with the
same distance, and the system has the best images and parfocality in a large working temperature.
A DFOV switching zoom system is designed. It has a relative aperture of f/4.0, 100% cold shield efficiency, the EFL of
180mm/60mm at 3.7-4.8μm. The movement of compensated lens can be achieved with four layers of aluminum/titanium
materials. Compared with the MTF of a normal switching zoom system without athermalization, this system needn't
move the compensated lens repeatedly to obtain the best images from -30°C to 70°C and enhances the performance of
target tracking and recognition.
Infrared camera has more and more application in military, judicature, rescue, industry, hospital and science. Nowadays
the NETD (Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference) of high-sensitivity cooled infrared camera is less than 10 mK. If
we test the NETD from the analog video output port of infrared camera using 8-bit and 10-bit ADC frame grabber, the
NETD accuracy is 7.81 mK and 2.76 mK which correspond to relative error 78.7% and 27.6% for a 10 mK NETD
infrared camera. Such kind of accuracy is obviously not proper for the performance evaluation of high-sensitivity
infrared camera with NETD less than 10 mK. The NETD test accuracy can be improved by increasing the effective bit
number of the ADC of frame grabber. The quantization error of ADC of frame grabber has become the main factor
which contributes most to the NETD error of the high-sensitivity infrared camera. It is difficult to evaluate the electrooptical
performance of the high-sensitivity infrared camera through its analog video.
Although the NETD test accuracy can be improved by reducing the linear temperature range or increasing the effective
bits of the ADC of frame grabber under analog video interface test condition, it is difficult to meet the test needs. But
under the 14 bits digital video interface test condition and 1 K linear range, the NETD test accuracy of 0.24 mK can be
achieved. The NETD accuracy can be also improved by reducing the linear temperature range. The NETD test accuracy
can be 0.488 mK through 14-bit digital video under 2 K linear temperature range and its relative error equals 4.9% for a
10 mK NETD high-sensitivity infrared camera which meets the requirement. The test result through the digital video
port of an infrared camera shows that the test result through digital video port matches with its nominal value. This
necessitates the need of digital video interface of high-sensitivity infrared camera in NETD test in order to evaluate its performance accuracy.
In an infrared zoom system, it is difficult to obtain the best thermal compensation for all effective focal length (EFL) simultaneously by moving a single lens group. According to the principle of optical passive athermalization, the equations of focal length, achromatization and athermalization of both long and short EFL are established respectively. By analyzing the thermal aberration value relations between long EFL and short EFL, the thermal aberration values of the switching groups for short EFL athermalization are calculated. Firstly, the athermalization of long EFL is designed. Then through reasonable optical materials matching of the switching groups, the short EFL achieves athermalization as well.
In this paper, a re-imaging switching zoom system is designed. It has a relative aperture of f/4.0, 100% cold shield efficiency, the EFL of 180mm/30mm at 3.7-4.8μm. The long EFL includes four refractive elements and one hybrid refractive/diffractive element. The switching groups of short EFL have two types, one is composed of four refractive elements, and the other is composed of two refractive elements and one hybrid refractive/diffractive element. Both of the short EFL achieve athermalization. With the aluminum materials of system structures, the zoom system achieves optical passive athermalization. It has the diffraction limited image quality and stable image plane from -30°C to 70°C.
For cooled 320×240 staring focal plane array (FPA), a novel long wavelength infrared dual field-of-view optical system is presented in the paper. The optical system is composed of re-imaging part and zooming part. The parameters of the system are 1.96 f/number, 100% cold shield efficiency, 180mm/60mm effective focal length (EFL) and 8-10 μm spectrum region. The optical system is analyzed from two modes of narrow field of view (NFOV) and wide field of view (WFOV). The system can be used in the temperature range from-30°Cand 60°C without significant degradation of optical performance. The final test results prove the designed performance is good..
In this paper, a novel method, changeable wavelength optical thickness monitoring with quartz crystal thickness monitoring, is firstly outlined for monitoring non-quarter wave thickness. For several multi-layer optical coatings with high performance, a lot of deposition experiments with the ion-assisted deposition technique have firstly done about optical materials SiO2, Ti3O5, and Ta2O5 at room temperature, in order to obtain high dense and low absorbance layers from VIS to NIR wave band. Using the reverse synthesis method, the refractive index, extinction coefficient and tooling factor value of these materials have been obtained accurately. With the above monitoring method, we have then successfully manufactured some multi-layer optical coatings on Bak7 glass and sapphire substrates, and the multi-layer optical coatings have past environmental tests. The appropriate deposition technique parameters and the typical problems about indirect optical thickness monitoring from the deposition process are detailedly discussed in this paper.
Firstly, a reverse synthesis method is outlined for the determination of the optical constants of infrared coatings from transmittance spectrum data by optimizing the physical thickness, refractive index and extinction coefficient, which can apply to all kinds of transmission spectra and do not rely on the existence of interference fringe patterns and the absorption of substrates. A lot of deposition experiments with the ion-assisted deposition (IAD) technique have firstly done about infrared optical materials ZnS, YF3, Ge and DLC (diamond-like-carbon), in order to obtain high dense and low absorbance layers in the 3-5μm and 8-12μm spectral windows. Using the reverse synthesis method, the refractive index and extinction coefficient of these materials have been obtained accurately. The appropriate deposition parameters and the problems from the deposition process are in detail discussed in this paper. YF3 has been then associated with ZnS and Ge layers so as to obtain antireflection coatings with high performance on Ge and Si substrates in 3-5μm and/or 8-12μm range. In addition, a novel multi-layer infrared AR coating utilizing DLC film as one of the low index films has also been developed for Si and Ge substrates. The optical performance is satisfied (average transmittance is no less than 97%, maximum transmittance is more than 98%, from 8μm to 11.5μm), which is better than that of a single film of one quarterwave DLC coating with interior surface multi-layer AR coated on Ge substrates. However, the adhesion between multi-layer AR coatings and DLC coating is not well, leading to coatings falling off from substrates after humidity test and moderate abrasion test, according to MIL-F-48497. Through a lot of experiments, a non-absorbing coating material has been found as bonding layer to solve this problem. The optical properties of three kinds of infrared coatings and the environmental and physical durability test results including high/low temperature test, abrasion test, salt solubility test, etc, are also in detail presented in this paper.
"Reverse Engineering" attempts to derive information about the makeup of an existing optical coating from optical spectrum measurements, usually of performance, which can be converted into targets for inverse optimization synthesis. In the method of inverse synthesis, optimization targets are measured spectral data, the starting design is the original theoretical design and the final results gives more actual indices, layer thickness, dispersive index functions and material tooling factors, or some of them by selected optimization for multi-layers. This paper presents some new optimization methods, such as gradually constrained optimization approach, subsection synthesis, accelerating optimization model, etc. The methods applies to all kinds of transmission spectra and do not rely on the existence of interference fringe patterns or transparency. Through a lot of experiments of the films Ta2O5, TiO2 under different ion-assisted deposition (IAD) conditions, the deviation between the measured and the theoretical spectra data is less than 0.52% in p-order model merit function, which shows that these methods are reliable. With "Reverse Engineering" for multi-layers, we have successfully manufactured 400-700nm broadband antireflection coatings (average reflectivity is around 0.25%, maximum reflectivity is on more than 0.35%) and broadband beam splitters (R/T=30:70 for a 45 degree angle of incidence, average reflectivity deviation is less than 2.5% in visible spectral region). Of course, many difficulties have not still been overcome, especially for multi-layers.
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