Analysis and Design of Diffractive and Micro-Optical Systems

20 – 22 September, 2017
Jena, Germany

Requirements: Elementary skills in using VirtualLab and in particular in using the light path diagram for the setup and analysis of laser systems are recommended.

The software course will give an introduction into the modeling and analysis of micro-structured and diffractive optical components with free-form refractive, diffractive and hybrid surfaces. It will show the analysis of diffractive optical elements, diffractive lenses, hybrid lenses and lens arrays including diffraction and interference effects. This includes especially the modeling of elements with customized surface profiles and refractive index distributions. The modeling and analysis of typical tolerances of micro-structured elements will be discussed on several examples. The course will introduce the optimization of diffractive beam splitters, diffractive diffusers and diffractive beam shapers by the Iterative Fourier Transform Algorithm (IFTA). Furthermore, micro-structured elements with features in the range of the wavelength require a rigorous analysis. During the course the modeling and rigorous analysis of 2D and 3D grating structures with arbitrary surface and refractive index modulations by the Fourier Modal Method (FMM) will be practiced. At the end, local and global parametric optimization algorithms of VirtualLab for the rigorous optimization of gratings will be introduced.