Due to the historical reasons all the image capturing and projection systems work with a “flat-to-flat” configuration: the image is detected in a camera focal plane and then projected to a flat display or a flat screen. Recently, we entered a new era with two major technical levers – curved sensors and 3D/immersive imaging. This new combination allows us, on the one hand, to easily capture spherical images and, on another hand, to view spherical images without any intermediate plane picture. Indeed, the image used in an immersive projection system can be assimilated to a sphere where the user can move his head in different directions. Meanwhile, a camera based on curved sensor would be able to capture almost a perfect spherical scene. All the basic processes for editing and post-production can thus be done on a spherical data basis. In this work we consider design of lenses for capturing and projecting images on spherical surfaces. Due to the spherical symmetry reasons it is just natural to use monocentric lenses for these purposes. Such a design evolves from a simple ball lens, where the pupil center coincides with the center of symmetry, to a more realistic design with 4 components in 2 groups. We consider a lens with 12 mm focal length and F/1.77 aperture, covering the field of view up to 90 degrees. It works with an object located 3 m away from the camera and the spatial resolution reaches 57 lines/mm. The same design can be re-scaled and modified to serve as a projection system working with a curved screen. We consider a spherical screen with 12 m radius, which can be related to a planetarium cupola. We analyze image quality of such a system and show that the image distortion should be re-defined and the corrected value is lower than a conventional one by factor of 1.4. Also, we perform an end-to-end image simulation to demonstrate that the projected wide-angle scene is close enough to a one observed directly by a human eye.
The segmented pupil experiment for exoplanet detection (SPEED) facility aims to improve knowledge and insight into various areas required for gearing up high-contrast imaging instruments adapted to the unprecedented high angular resolution and complexity of the forthcoming extremely large telescopes (ELTs). SPEED combines an ELT simulator, cophasing optics, wavefront control and shaping with a multi-deformable mirror (DM) system, and optimized small inner-working angle (IWA) coronagraphy. The fundamental objective of the SPEED setup is to demonstrate deep contrast into a dark hole optimized for small field of view and very small IWA, adapted to the hunt of exoplanets in the habitable zone around late-type stars. SPEED is designed to implement an optimized small IWA coronagraph: the phase-induced amplitude apodization complex mask coronagraph (PIAACMC). The PIAACMC consists in a multi-zone phase-shifting focal plane mask (FPM) and two apodization mirrors (PIAA-M1 and PIAA-M2), with strong manufacturing specifications. Recently, a first-generation prototype of a PIAACMC optimized for the SPEED facility has been designed and manufactured. The manufacturing components exhibit high optical quality that meets specifications. In this paper, we present how these components have been characterized by a metrological instrument, an interferential microscope, and then we show what is yielded from this characterization for the FPM and the mirrors. Eventually, we discuss the results and the perspectives of the implementation of the PIAACMC components on the SPEED setup.
Recording brain activity at the mesoscopic scale has a strong potential to unveil many new fundamental neuronal operations. Optical imaging offers a unique opportunity to measure brain activity over a large area with high spatio-temporal resolutions (20 μm x 1 ms). However, two major limitations of this imaging technique partially explain the lack of development in this field. The cortex being non-planar, the field's depth limits the region in focus to a small region close to the center of the field of view. This is particularly significant for the highly curved lissencephalic small cortex of non-human primates that are becoming popular in neuroscience experiments. The ideal technique would be a method that compensates for such curvature; it would enable imaging the whole visual system at once, from the primary to the fifth visual cortices, in small non-human primates. Additionally, the signal-to-noise ratio is strongly degraded by the dynamic evolution of the brain curvature due to physiological rhythms (heartbeat, breathing, etc.). This strongly limits the ability to work at a single-trial level and to unravel the real dynamics of neuronal processing, such as spatio-temporal waves. Here in this project, we present an interdisciplinary approach for imaging of the non-human primate cortex, using technologies from astronomical instrumentation to overcome current technological limits. This will be of interest to a wide neuroscientific audience but also will impact the clinical community interested in mapping the nervous activity at the mesoscopic scale. Our current preliminary development involves redesigning the illumination source and the optical design.
Curved sensors are a disruptive technology which allow improvement of the image quality and substantial simplification of optical designs. Both bring to the reduction of the volume and mass of the instruments, while improving their performance.
The field of curvature is an optical aberration, present in every single optical system, describing the fact that the light going through optics produces an image on a portion of a sphere. The impact of this aberration is seen mostly on the edges of an image by the presence of vignetting and distortion.
Current solutions are applied to correct the images, but they imply a growing complexity of the instruments and the increase of their volume.
Curved detectors correct this optical aberration directly at the focal surface. Our recent research has demonstrated that curved detectors allow to remove many lenses and release constraints in optical systems, simultaneously making them more compact without performance impairments.
The CNRS-LAM has developed a nondestructive, high quality curving process. A full electro-optical characterization performed at LAM on prototypes demonstrates that there is no significant difference among curved and flat sensors. The study and achievement of the association of a wide-angle lens with a curved sensor have proven that it is possible to reduce by a factor of two the number of lenses in the optical system. Moreover, a significant improvement of the sharpness can be noticed, just like the fact that there is no more distortion or vignetting, all until the edges of the image.
Curved sensors bring significant improvement of the image quality in trans-disciplinary applications. The team is currently developing new optical concept including a curved focal surface for projects going from bio medical application to space imaging.
In this talk I will present our work and results in the frame of freeform CMOS development, optical concept for a wide field imager for an ESA Earth’s aurora monitoring mission and discuss the impact of curved sensors on imaging systems.
The emergence of curved sensors technologies opens a new way to design compact high-performance optical systems. Recent progress on the French activity on curved sensors are presented in terms of optical performance and experimental results. The existing prototypes are demonstrated at TRL4, for VIS and SWIR domains. We present the roadmap jointly developed by CEA and CNRS to reach a higher TRL either on the performance of the devices or on the mass production processes. We present the results obtained on two demonstrators
Many are the optical designs that generate curved focal planes for which field flattener must be implemented. This generally implies the use of more optical elements and a consequent loss of throughput and performances. With the recent development of curved sensor this can be avoided. This new technology has been gathering more and more attention from a very broad community, as the potential applications are multiple: from low-cost commercial to high impact scientific systems, to mass-market and on board cameras, defense and security, and astronomical community.
We describe here the first concave curved CMOS detector developed within a collaboration between CNRS-LAM and CEA-LETI. This fully-functional detector 20Mpix (CMOSIS CMV20000) has been curved down to a radius of Rc =150mm over a size of 24x32mm2. We present here the methodology adopted for its characterization and describe in detail all the results obtained. We also discuss the main components of noise, such as the readout noise, the fixed pattern noise and the dark current. Finally we provide a comparison with the at version of the same sensor in order to establish the impact of the curving process on the main characteristics of the sensor.
Many astronomical optical systems have the disadvantage of generating curved focal planes requiring flattening optical elements to project the corrected image on at detectors. The use of these designs in combination with a classical at sensor implies an overall degradation of throughput and system performances to obtain the proper corrected image. With the recent development of curved sensor this can be avoided. This new technology has been gathering more and more attention from a very broad community, as the potential applications are multiple: from low-cost commercial to high impact scientific systems, to mass-market and on board cameras, defense and security, and astronomical community. We describe here the first concave curved CMOS detector developed within a collaboration between CNRS- LAM and CEA-LETI. This fully-functional detector 20 Mpix (CMOSIS CMV20000) has been curved down to a radius of Rc =150mm over a size of 24x32mm2. We present here the methodology adopted for its characterization and describe in detail all the results obtained. We also discuss the main components of noise, such as the readout noise, the fixed pattern noise and the dark current. Finally we provide a comparison with the at version of the same sensor in order to establish the impact of the curving process on the main characteristics of the sensor.
In the present paper we consider a family of unobscured telescope designs with curved detectors. They are based on classical two-mirror schemes – Ritchey-Chretien, Gregorian and Couder telescopes. It is shown that all the designs provide nearly diffraction limited image quality in the visible domain for 0.4º×0.4º field of view with the f-number of 7. We also provide a brief ghost analysis and point on special features of the systems with curved detectors. Finally, the detector surface shape obtained in each case is analyzed and its’ technological feasibility is demonstrated.
In the present paper we consider quantitative estimation of the tolerances widening in optical systems with curved detectors. The gain in image quality allows to loosen the margins for manufacturing and assembling errors. On another hand, the requirements for the detector shape and positioning become more tight. We demonstrate both of the effects on example of two optical designs. The first one is a rotationally-symmetrical lens with focal length of 25 mm, f-ratio of 3.5 and field of view equal to 72°, working in the visible domain. The second design is a three-mirror anastigmat telescope with focal length of 250 mm, f-ratio of 2.0 and field of view equal to 4°x4°. In both of the cases use of curved detectors allow to increase the image quality and substantially decrease the requirements for manufacturing precision.
Over the recent years, a huge interest has grown for curved electronics, particularly for opto-electronics systems. Curved sensors help the correction of off-axis aberrations, such as Petzval Field Curvature, astigmatism, and bring significant optical and size benefits for imaging systems. In this paper, we first describe advantages of curved sensor and associated packaging process applied on a 1/1.8’’ format 1.3Mpx global shutter CMOS sensor (Teledyne EV76C560) into its standard ceramic package with a spherical radius of curvature Rc=65mm and 55mm. The mechanical limits of the die are discussed (Finite Element Modelling and experimental), and electro-optical performances are investigated. Then, based on the monocentric optical architecture, we proposed a new design, compact and with a high resolution, developed specifically for a curved image sensor including optical optimization, tolerances, assembly and optical tests. Finally, a functional prototype is presented through a benchmark approach and compared to an existing standard optical system with same performances and a x2.5 reduction of length. The finality of this work was a functional prototype demonstration on the CEA-LETI during Photonics West 2018 conference. All these experiments and optical results demonstrate the feasibility and high performances of systems with curved sensors.
Over the recent years, a huge interest has grown for curved electronics, particularly for opto-electronics systems. Indeed, curved sensors help the correction of off-axis aberrations, such as Petzval Field Curvature and astigmatism. In this paper, we describe benefits of curvature and tunable curvature on an existing fish-eye lens. We proposed a new design architecture, compact and with a high resolution, developed specifically for a curved image sensor. We discuss about aberrations and effect of higher sensor curvature on third order aberrations. Besides, we show results of sensors’ mechanical limits and its electro-optical characterization. Finally, all these experiments and optical results demonstrate the feasibility and high performances of systems with curved sensors.
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