Optimization of optical system - Diverging output wavefront

Question

Hello again friends from the Zemax community,

I’m trying to optimize an optical system in where I have an input spherical wavefront (a single point) and the output is another spherical wavefront with a changed radius of curvature.

Since my image is not real at the target output plane, how could I use zemax merit function definitions to optimize such a system?

Would optimizing for the spot size/wavefront error at the “virtual” image point in image space be a suitable solution here? Or is there any other approach that I could follow?

Thanks a lot for your feedback and comments

Mike.Jones · Answer

Yes, locate the virtual image point (plane?) where you want it, and optimize the WFE there.

Just a tip from an old battle-scarred-but-good-memory lens designer: NEVER optimize with only a zero FOV. Give this some FOV, even if small, just anything to generate off-axis merit function operands to minimize. This makes your system much less tilt-sensitive, at least over the FOV. This also gives tolerancing something to work with as well.

Optimization of optical system - Diverging output wavefront

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