Diffractive null corrector employing a spatial light modulator
First Claim
1. A system for testing an optical surface, comprising:
- an interferometer that provides electromagnetic radiation;
an optical element that conditions the electromagnetic radiation to provide a first beam of radiation and a second beam of radiation; and
a spatial light modulator (SLM) that shapes a wavefront of the first beam of radiation resulting in a shaped wavefront corresponding to an optical surface, wherein the shaped wavefront is incident on and conditioned by the optical surface, and wherein the shape of the optical surface is analyzed based on a fringe pattern resulting from interference between the shaped wavefront mapped by the optical surface and the second beam of radiation.
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a system and method for using a spatial light modulator (SLM) to perform a null test of an (aspheric) optical surface. In an embodiment, such a system includes an interferometer, an optical element, and an SLM. The interferometer provides electromagnetic radiation. The optical element conditions the electromagnetic radiation to provide a first beam of radiation and a second beam of radiation. The SLM shapes a wavefront of the first beam of radiation resulting in a shaped wavefront corresponding to an optical surface. The shaped wavefront is incident on and conditioned by the optical surface. The shape of the optical surface is analyzed based on a fringe pattern resulting from interference between the shaped wavefront mapped by the optical surface and the second beam of radiation. The system may also include an optical design module that converts a null corrector design corresponding to the optical surface into instructions for the SLM.
47 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for testing an optical surface, comprising:
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an interferometer that provides electromagnetic radiation; an optical element that conditions the electromagnetic radiation to provide a first beam of radiation and a second beam of radiation; and a spatial light modulator (SLM) that shapes a wavefront of the first beam of radiation resulting in a shaped wavefront corresponding to an optical surface, wherein the shaped wavefront is incident on and conditioned by the optical surface, and wherein the shape of the optical surface is analyzed based on a fringe pattern resulting from interference between the shaped wavefront mapped by the optical surface and the second beam of radiation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for testing an optical surface, comprising:
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providing a first beam of radiation and a second beam of radiation; shaping a wavefront of the first beam of radiation with a spatial light modulator (SLM) resulting in a shaped wavefront corresponding to the optical surface; conditioning the shaped wavefront with the optical surface; producing a fringe pattern based on interference between the shaped wavefront conditioned by the optical surface and the second beam of radiation; and analyzing the shape of the optical surface based on the fringe pattern. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for testing an optical surface, comprising:
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an interferometer that provides a first beam of radiation and a second beam of radiation; and a spatial light modulator (SLM) that shapes a wavefront of the first beam of radiation resulting in a shaped wavefront corresponding to an optical surface, wherein the shaped wavefront is incident on and conditioned by the optical surface, and wherein the shape of the optical surface is analyzed based on a fringe pattern resulting from interference between the shaped wavefront mapped by the optical surface and the second beam of radiation.
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Specification