Analysis of the diffracted field near the focal region due to the birefringence of the field flattening lens of the laser scanning system

Birefringence- and Optical Distortion-Free Isotropic Polymer Lens Assisted by Photonic Microspheres

“…Comparing the Δ n value of our isotropic lenses to that of the lenses reported in the literature − and commercial lenses (Figure k), Δ n IL and Δ n CL are 1 order of magnitude lower than the Δ n of other lenses, which can be applied directly in high-speed cameras, infrared guidance hood, light guide plates, and advanced lenses.…”

“…Traditional lenses with the same size (30 mm in diameter, 1 mm in thickness) were fabricated using the commercial PMMA powder under the same conditions for comparison (200 MPa, 160 °C), and the photographs and the corresponding stereogram pictures of the experimental photoelastic results are, respectively, shown in Figures a,b and S5. Based on these data, the OPD of the two fabricated lenses can be measured, , and the maximum OPD data on the centerline of the isotropic lens and traditional lens were 8.3 and 224 nm, respectively, indicating that the isotropic lenses have uniform optical properties attributed to the preferable solid fluidity of microspheres under the rubbery state. Furthermore, the birefringence causes a resultant path difference between the light rays inside the lens, which can macroscopically reflect the anisotropy.…”

“…), and few strategies can eliminate the anisotropy at the source. Consequently, the state-of-the-art performances of transparent polymer optical devices, especially birefringence Δ n , can only achieve 9.03 × 10 –5 , 2.4 × 10 –4 , and 4 × 10 –4 for the core lens of an imaging spectrometer, the flattening lens of a laser scanning system, and the molded lens, respectively (Δ n = OPD/ s , OPD is the optical path difference and s is the path of light; when Δ n < 1 × 10 –5 , it means that there exists no birefringence , ). Therefore, the isotropic lens with no birefringence and optical distortion is in urgent demand for fundamental scientific research on precision optical devices but challenging.…”