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One of my recent research projects requires Zemax to simulate a surface with a specific phase. I looked in the literature and found that Zemax has a "grid phase" feature in the surface selection that allows the user to customize the phase surface.

I constructed a simple 5*5 grid according to the user manual and assigned the corresponding phase values to the grid points and saved them in a .dat file. I then imported the .dat file containing the phase values into the "grid phase" plane of Zemax and did not observe any deflection of the light in the 3D layout, but in the face-phase diagram I could observe that the "grid phase" plane did have The corresponding phase distribution is observed in the face-phase diagram.

My question is: Is it really possible to attach a given phase shift to a given incident ray with the "grid phase" function in Zemax? If I want to attach a converging phase similar to a thin lens:

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Is there any other easy and feasible function or method to implement in Zemax?

Hi Tyson,

Remember that phase does not bend rays: the slope of the phase bends rays.

  • Mark

So do I have to format phase and the slope of the phase in both directions to get the light to bend and converge like through a thin lens?


Hi Tyson,

Remember that phase does not bend rays: the slope of the phase bends rays.

  • Mark

So do I have to format phase and the slope of the phase in both directions to get the light to bend and converge like through a thin lens?


Yes. You need phase, d(phase)/dx, d(phase)/dy and d^2(phase)dxdy if possible too. It’s only the derivatives that change the direction of the ray.


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