Re-imaging optical system employing refractive and diffractive optical elements
US5257133A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 11, 1991 |
| Grant date | Oct 26, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 11, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B27/4216
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A re-imaging optical system (36) is provided which utilizes a combination of refractive and diffractive optical elements. The system includes an objective lens group (38) for focusing an incoming beam of light to a first image plane. A relay lens group (40) refocuses the beam of light in a second image plane after it passes through the first image plane. The relay lens group (40) includes a diffractive optical element (48) for correcting aberrations introduced by the objective and relay lens groups. The diffractive optical element (48) eliminates a number of individual optical elements which would otherwise be required to correct aberrations, thereby reducing the total number of optical elements in the system. In the preferred embodiment, the diffractive optical element (48) comprises a binary optical element. The resulting system yields better image quality, better throughput, and a lighter, less bulky, re-imaging optical system (36).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.