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People & Pointers

Use this space to show off your skills, introduce yourself, or to chat about the latest in the world of optics.

  • 211 Topics
  • 876 Replies
211 Topics
Allie
Zemax Staff
AllieZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
Zemax Consultants List

Hi everyone!Are you looking for a consultant to aid in your design work? Or are you a consultant who wants to get your name out there?This thread will serve as a list of Zemax Consultants. It is a Google-indexed replacement for the Zemax Consultants webpage, which was removed. Thanks to @Donna.Waters for getting this started :).If you're a consultant, please reply with your company information. Include your website and a little blurb about the kind of consulting work you do. Additionally, consider updating your Profile with a signature and some information about your business so other users can see your credentials as you reply to posts.If you are looking for a consultant, please reach out to the consultants via their website or via a private message. Do not reply to this thread requesting services. Please note: the consultants on this list are self-reporting, and are not endorsed by Ansys Zemax. We reserve the right to remove consultants from this list if they fail to meet the standar

7994
LOD
E
Zemax Staff
Erin.ElliottZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
Convert a Standard off-axis conic into an Off-Axis Conic Freeform

Off-axis conic mirrors in Zemax can be created by adding an off-axis aperture to a rotationally symmetric mirror.  It is sometimes inconvenient to have the origin of the off-axis mirror at the vertex of the parent mirror, though, for tasks like positioning and pivoting during tolerancing.  Also, larger mirrors are polished directly into blanks, so the substrate edges are roughly parallel to the surface normal at the vertex.  The Off-Axis Conic Freeform can be used to represent these off-axis mirrors, instead, so that the local origin is located at the vertex of the part and the substrate shape is correct.A system with a Standard off-axis conic, and another using the Off-Axis conic freeform.Off-axis mirrors can be converted from Standard surface types to Off-Axis Conic Freeforms using a few key values from the surface.In the Lens Data Editor for the starting system, we’ve got a standard off-axis parabola at surface 4.  We’ll replace this with the Off-Axis Conic Freeform.  The aperture i

1863
Sophia
curiouslearner
curiouslearnerSingle Emitter
asked in People & Pointers
Tilt and decenter of the fiber

Tilt and decenter of the fiber has been modelled in a simple manner as a source with Aperture with aperture type object space NA, aperture value, activated the fast diameters. This emits and passes through the optics and reach the image plane. Now, in the lens editor, after the object field, in the second surface I have added thickness so that the distance between the fiber and the first lens is x mm. Now I wanted to decenter and tilt the fiber modelled as source to estimate the fiber launch tolerances. How to implement using coordinate breaks here?

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curiouslearner
H
Zemax Staff
Heng.LiZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
OpticsTalk: Modelling problems for mobile devices: under screen cameras

In order to realize the full screen display in mobile phone, it is desired to put the front camera under screen. We will discuss the modelling problem for this situation and show how MTF is impacted by the screen.

1228
J
Bharadwaj
BharadwajSingle Emitter
posted in People & Pointers
Large Field Optimization

I am working on a very large field of view (10 deg X 10 deg) Schmidt type telescope design. I am inserting the field flattener optics just before the focal plane. I am trying to optimize it for the above mentioned field. Since there are aspherical lenses used, the spot is optimized for the fields inserted in the field editor data. But the same design gives bad spot for the other nearby fields. Is there is way where the design is optimized for the every possible field within the entire FOV. 

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Bharadwaj
Flurin Herren
Fully Spectral
Flurin HerrenFully Spectral
posted in People & Pointers
Image plane in a STOP analysis workflow

The STAR Module in Ansys Zemax OpticStudio allows users to import FEA datasets and analyse their impact on optical performance. In some optical systems, the load cases on the image plane can significantly affect this performance. For example, a lateral shift of a detector or receiving fiber due to the expansion of the housing in an optomechanical system may have a considerable influence. I`d like to briefly demonstrate how this can be addressed within a STOP workflow using Ansys software packages:On the left, as a starting point, we have an optimised optical system for a transceiver. These types of optical transceivers are widely used in fiber optics communication systems. The geometry is then exported into a CAD environment, where the housing for the transceiver is designed. At this stage, we also design the initial section of the receiving fiber, which represents our optical image plane, as a physical geometry (labelled as Ip in the graph above). The diameter of this geometry should

400
Flurin Herren
Fully Spectral
Hui Chen
Zemax Staff
Hui ChenZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
Jitter Series Part 2: Using OpticStudio STAR module to analyze high frequency jitter impact on PSF and MTF

IntroductionOptical systems in aerospace industry often experience random vibration excited by internal and external forces, ranging from engine noises, scanning motions, cryogenic cooling in airborne systems to gravity, winds, and other disturbances in ground-based systems. These random motions cause optical elements to shift position therefore impact system imaging performance and lead to Line-of-Sight (LOS) jitter and loss of image quality. Vibration jitter analysis is often required in such systems to help quantify performance degradation due to jitter and help guide optomechanical design and accurate system error budgeting. In addition to the Aerospace & Defense industry, jitter is also an important topic in imaging systems used in Automotive, LiDAR, and Consumer Electronics. In general, any imaging systems experiencing random vibration may see jitter impact on system MTF performance.   There are two types of LOS errors that are typically considered: Drift or DC pointing error

6642
Mark.Nicholson
Luminary
Hui Chen
Zemax Staff
Hui ChenZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
Jitter Series Part 1: Using OpticStudio STAR module to analyze drift of Line of Sight due to temperature variation

IntroductionOptical systems are often subject to random vibrations due to internal and external disturbances. This causes elements to shift position and as a result the formed image also moves around on sensor. This movement of the beam is referred to as the Line-of-sight jitter. Jitter due to vibration can lead to system performance degradation, specifically line-of-sight error, image distortion, and loss of image resolution. In a sense any optical systems operating under field conditions are likely to experience some levels of structural vibration. But jitter analysis is particularly important for applications in the Aerospace & Defense and Automotive industries, for example, a head-up display mounted in a car driving on a bumpy road, a camera mounted on an aircraft in flight, a space telescope launched in orbit observing earth or other celestial objects. Vibrations exist in these systems and degrade the system performance. In an imaging system where image registration and resolu

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Great_Dr_Park
E
Zemax Staff
Erin.ElliottZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
Setup tips in nonsequential mode: An off-axis parabola example

Objects in nonsequential mode can be used as reference points, and set so that they don’t interact with the rays.  This is useful for setting up folded systems, Boolean objects that are combinations of other objects, and systems with CAD parts referenced to a mechanical coordinate system.  Also, Source Rays can be used with optimization to automatically position parts along a gut ray. An off-axis parabola (OAP) created as a Boolean combination of two other objectsI’ve created an off-axis parabola (OAP) file that illustrates those techniques.  The mirror is a Boolean combination of two objects: a parabolic “lens” and a cylinder volume.  I’ve placed spheres at the origin of each part by referencing the Sphere to its object in the Ref. Object column of the Nonsequential Component Editor (NSCE).  I’ve also color-coded rows and objects to display in the same color using,Properties / Type / Row Color and Properties / Draw / Object Color. NSCE with reference spheres, axes, and source rays use

2140
E
Zemax Staff
G
guangjun.gao@nasa.gov
asked in People & Pointers
How to apply a as-measured surface irregularity DAT file on the clear aperture of OAP?

Hi, all, I have a as-measured surface irregularity file (converted from Zygo int into zemax dat file). I need to apply this on the clear aperture of off-axis parabola (OAP) surface. However, it seems that this DAT is applied on the vertex of OAP mirror, rather than the clear aperture of OAP. Is there a way to shift the DAT file so that it is applied on the clear aperture?  Thanks. [See the attached zar file for detail]  

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G
E
Zemax Staff
Erin.ElliottZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
Comparing tolerance operands for Surface Form

We got a few customer queries about the tolerance operands used for power and surface irregularity.  The new ISOX operands work with any surface type, are automatically centered on off-axis apertures, and the values can be placed on an ISO drawing without translation.  And thanks to the Composite property, our older operands now also accommodate any surface type.Here’s a comparison table with more information. 

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Rene Zehnder
Flurin Herren
Fully Spectral
Flurin HerrenFully Spectral
posted in People & Pointers
OpticStudio 24 R2.02 is out...and there is some cool stuff in it!

Hi Forum,I really like some of the stuff that is coming with Ansys Zemax OpticStudio 24 R2.02, so I thought I`ll make some noise about them here:Stress Birefringence in STAR STAR GRIN ray tracing improvements - Up to 50% faster analyses for complex systems. Support for modeling spatially varying gratings via the Lumerical Sub-Wavelength Model (LSWM) Export Ray Footprint to CAD Composite Surface can now be converted to non-sequential modeHere is a link the full release notes: Ansys Zemax OpticStudio 2024 R2.02 Release Notes | Zemax CommunityHave a good day, 

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Flurin Herren
Fully Spectral
Michael Cheng
Zemax Staff
Michael ChengZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
Straylight in VR Pancake

For a pancake type of VR, most of the straylight issue comes from the imperfect polarizer model. Here we have provided an example that users can play with for investigation.The components in the system are as below.In the polarizer (object #6), users can control the light leakage at reflection and transmission side. The polarizer is based on this paper but with some modifications: Non-paraxial idealized polarizer modelNote the input light is with circular polarization. Enjoy!

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Michael Cheng
Zemax Staff
E
Zemax Staff
Erin.ElliottZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
New surface equation for the Off-Axis Conic Freeform

The Off-Axis Conic Freeform surface is the sum of an off-axis conic surface with freeform polynomial terms.  The coordinate system for the surface is decentered and tilted to the center of the off-axis conic, as shown by the (y, z) coordinate system sketched below.  Polynomial freeform terms are added to the surface at the center of the off-axis part.  The edges of a mirror defined by this surface shape are parallel to the z axis.  The sag of the surface can be written as:where:and R is the radius of curvature, k is the conic constant, Yo is the off-axis distance measured along the y axis of the on-axis conic, and Rn is the normalization radius for the freeform polynomial coefficients. The position coordinates x and y are in the off-axis coordinate system. The freeform polynomial allows 230 terms, up to y20.  The A00 term is omitted.  The coefficients are arranged by increasing total power (j+k) and then by decreasing powers of x^j, as shown in the equation below.  Note that the polyno

48112
Jeff.Wilde
Luminary
E
Zemax Staff
Erin.ElliottZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
Listing the Q-type Freeform polynomials and surface equations

In Zemax, the Q-type Freeform surface is defined as:Surface equation of the Q-type Freeform​​​​​​In the above equation, c is the vertex curvature, k is the conic constant,  u = r/Un where r is the radial coordinate on the surface in lens units, and Un is the Norm Radius value for the surface.The polynomial terms are chosen to minimize the departure of the surface gradient from the surface normal of the best-fit sphere, as described in the paper: G. W. Forbes, Characterizing the shape of freeform optics.  Optics Express, Vol. 20 No. 3, 30 January 2012, pages 2483 – 2499.The Max Polynomial Radial Power column gives the maximum power of u included in the equation of the full surface.  Powers of u up to 20 are allowed and the corresponding allowed values of m and n are listed below.  (There are 229 coefficients if the order of u is 20.)Terms included in the Q-type Freeform surfaceThe full sets of Q polynomials can be derived using the following two equations, where delta is the Krönecker d

3222
E
Zemax Staff
Jeff.Wilde
Luminary
Jeff.WildeLuminary
posted in People & Pointers
Modeling DOE Pattern/Image Generation using POP

This is a brief description of my recent experience using POP to model diffractive optical elements that may be of some interest to other users.It is well-known that Diffractive Optical Element (DOE) technology can be used to generate custom intensity patterns or images based on coherent optics.  For example, illumination of properly constructed phase elements (i.e., DOEs) by a coherent laser beam can produce interesting intensity patterns in the far field.  Anyone who has walked the exhibit hall at Photonics West has surely seen examples of this.  Various techniques can be employed to design a DOE, with the Iterative Fourier Transform Algorithm being one popular scheme (see, e.g., F. Wyrowski and O. Bryngdahl, “Iterative Fourier-Transform algorithm applied to computer holography,” JOSA-A 1988).Here is a brief description taken from the Holoeye website: Modeling DOEs in OpticStudio is possible by using Physical Optics Propagation (POP).  One can envision two possible approaches: (1) mo

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Jeff.Wilde
Luminary
D
Zemax Staff
David.VegaZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
Introducing the NSQ Single Ray Trace Tool

One of our goals in Ansys is to model reality so our customers get the most accurate modeling analysis that agrees with their measurements in the real world. As part of this goal, we are enhancing the Non-Sequential mode in OpticStudio. In the 22.3 release, the team brought to life the NSC single ray trace analysis; let me tell you, it is powerful and cool!With the NSC single ray trace tool, you can add a source ray anywhere in the system space to evaluate light propagating. This tool will not modify or add an NSC object in the editor, allowing you to keep your editor system clean. Also, it provides all the ray data just as the ray database does. No more filtering ray databases to find the ray you want to evaluate! If that is not enough, the tool is also available in the ZOS-API and allows the extraction of any computed parameters. See attached example code for a basic introduction to this tool.Also, look at the NSC single ray trace layout tab at the bottom of the analysis window. Here

7509
E
Zemax Staff
Flurin Herren
Fully Spectral
Flurin HerrenFully Spectral
posted in People & Pointers
Ansys Zemax OpticStudio Student - Free Software Download

Hi Forum,With the 24R2 Release, Ansys offers a free student version of Ansys Zemax OpticStudio. Here is the link:Ansys Zemax OpticStudio Student | Free Software DownloadHave a good week,

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David.Nguyen
Luminary
David Nguyen
Zemax Staff
David NguyenZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
Detector Viewers to different image formats (8-/16-bits) with a user-extension

In this thread, I introduce a user-extension DetectorToTIFF to save Detector Viewers as TIFF images. Presently, the user-extension supports Detector Rectangle, which are saved as monochrome 8-, or 16-bits TIFF images. This user-extension is meant to complement the Output Image File field of the Detector Viewer's settings. Version Current version: 0.7   This extension has been developed and tested on OpticStudio 19.4 SP2. The latest release, v0.8, can be found in my latest reply to this thread. Installation To install the user-extension, download the archive DetectorToTIFF.ZIP and extract it on your computer. This archive contains a local version of this thread and the user-extension DetectorToTIFF.EXE, which you must copy to your \Documents\Zemax\ZOS-API\Extensions folder of OpticStudio. Use To use the user-extension, open a non-sequential file, such as User aperture sample.zmx from the \Documents\Zemax\Samples\Non-sequential\Miscellaneous folder of OpticStudio. Then, run a ray t

3739
A
Ultraviolet
E
Zemax Staff
Erin.ElliottZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
Sag maps in off-axis coordinates

In case you missed it, our sag maps now have an automatic setting that will automatically report sag in off-axis coordinates.  This is helpful for users who regularly work with off-axis mirror and freeforms. (We’ve added this option to our slope and curvature maps, as well.) The sag is reported in a new coordinate system centered on the off-axis vertex and with tilt across the aperture removed.  Tilt values are reported out in the graphic.  Exact sag data can be retrieved using the SSAG operand, where the “off-axis” option is also available.  Tilts and other information about the data can be retrieved using the DSAG operand. 

2288
Sean Turner
Ultraviolet
Michael Cheng
Zemax Staff
Michael ChengZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
FAQ of volume hologram model in OpticStudio

Update 2021-09-24This forum thread is answer some frequently asked questions about the volume hologram model in OpticStudio.In OpticStudio 21.1, we have implemented volume hologram model for these sequential surfaces: Hologram 1, Hologram 2, Toroidal Hologram, Optically Fabricated Hologram. This allows users to analyze the diffraction efficiency with give material information. More infomraiton can be found in Help file in OpticStudio 21.1 and this knowledge base article: Simulating diffraction efficiency of a volume holographic grating using Kogelnik’s method  1. Can I make the hologram with any kind of user defined shape?When we say surface shape, it could be the substrate or the aperture. Here we will talk about both.The shape of substrate only supports Standard (conic sphere), Toroidal (cylinder), Extended Polynomial (freeform) for now, but we can investigate if users request more.If more shape of substrate are needed, except sending a feature request to Zemax product team, the fast

12646
Michael Cheng
Zemax Staff
Sean.Lin
Zemax Staff
Sean.LinZemax Staff
asked in People & Pointers
How to get measurable f-number in ZEMAX?

The f-number (F/#) is defined as the focal length divided by the entrance pupil diameter. In ZEMAX, the Effective Focal Length (EFL) is calculated by tracing an on-axis parabasal ray, and the Entrance Pupil Diameter (EPD) is the diameter of the paraxial image of the stop in object space. However, measuring EFL with a single ray in the real world is challenging, and the paraxial EPD image doesn't match the actual EPD image. This often results in a discrepancy between the Image Space F/# in ZEMAX and the measured f/#.The measurable EFL is determined by measuring the image height with a known incident angle. The Trioptics ImageMaster® HR, a common testing device, projects a double slit from infinity with a half-width angle of about 0.573 degrees. EFL is calculated as ImageHeight / TAN(0.573 degrees). To calculate measurable EFL in ZEMAX, insert a field with a 0.573-degree object angle and use CNEY to obtain the image height. The EFL can then be calculated in the merit function editor. Usi

3070
Sean.Lin
Zemax Staff
Sean.Lin
Zemax Staff
Sean.LinZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
How to get measurable f-number in ZEMAX?

The f-number (F/#) is defined as the focal length divided by the entrance pupil diameter. In ZEMAX, the Effective Focal Length (EFL) is calculated by tracing an on-axis parabasal ray, and the Entrance Pupil Diameter (EPD) is the diameter of the paraxial image of the stop in object space. However, measuring EFL with a single ray in the real world is challenging, and the paraxial EPD image doesn't match the actual EPD image. This often results in a discrepancy between the Image Space F/# in ZEMAX and the measured f/#.The measurable EFL is determined by measuring the image height with a known incident angle. The Trioptics ImageMaster® HR, a common testing device, projects a double slit from infinity with a half-width angle of about 0.573 degrees. EFL is calculated as ImageHeight / TAN(0.573 degrees). To calculate measurable EFL in ZEMAX, insert a field with a 0.573-degree object angle and use CNEY to obtain the image height. The EFL can then be calculated in the merit function editor. Usi

5890
Sean.Lin
Zemax Staff
Michael Cheng
Zemax Staff
Michael ChengZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
CMOS diffraction simulation

The attached are two files that shows how to simulate CMOS diffraction using the static link in OpticStudio.More information about using static link can be found in the following article:How to load grating data from Lumerical into OpticStudio – Ansys Optics When the files are opened, it might look as below. It’s not difficult to find object 21 is set up with the static link, which is supposed to simulate how CMOS can diffract lights and cause straylight when it comes back.The Stochastic mode is turn on because rays will revisit the CMOS many times and generate so many calculations.The Test Mode is set to 9 for a special handling to the grating data. Normally, when light hits CMOS, most of the power is absorbed and converted to electric power in the pixels. And only a certain ratio of power is diffracted in the reflection direction. If the grating data is generated from Lumerical, there will be only reflection diffraction and no any transmission order. The trick of Test Mode = 9 is it

6871
Michael Cheng
Zemax Staff
Xu Chen
Xu ChenMonochrome
asked in People & Pointers
What Analytical Approaches Can Be Used to Evaluate Equivalent System Performance in Sequential and Non-Sequential Modes

This discussion presents methods for evaluating equivalent system performance in sequential and non-sequential modes. The key areas covered include Surface/Object Face Sag Maps, GEO MTF, and spot sizes, with corresponding pathway settings detailed below: Compare Surface/Object face Sag Map Configuration steps:   SEQ:  The Analyze Tab (sequential ui mode) » Polarization and Surface Physics Group (the analyze tab, sequential ui mode) » Surface » Surface  NSC: The Analyze Tab (non-sequential ui mode) » Polarization and Surface Physics Group (the analyze tab, non-sequential ui mode) » NSC Surface Sag    Compare GEO MTF (Geometrical Modulation Transfer Function) for non-diffraction-limited aberrated systems Configuration steps:   SEQ: The Analyze Tab (sequential ui mode) » Image Quality Group » MTF » Geometric MTF  NSC: The Analyze Tab (non-sequential ui mode) » Image Quality Group (non-sequential) » NSC Geometric MTF.    Compare spot sizes  Configuration steps:   SEQ: To match the NSC

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Xu Chen

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