Publications

DynaOptics has actively participated in conferences, journals, and Zemax webinars to help develop a better and broader appreciation across the industry for freeform technology

ARTICLES

SPIE, Jan 2022
Compact Optical Zoom Camera Module Based on Alvarez Elements
In this paper, a former DynaOptics employee discusses the work DynaOptics performed in building a compact optical zoom module based on two pairs of Alvarez freeform lenses with a periscope configuration. At the time DynaOptics successfully demonstrated and characterized a 3× optical zoom system with a focal length ranging from 4.5 to 14.1 mm. The optical design performances, profiles of the freeform surfaces, tolerance analysis results, and Monte Carlo yield simulation for mass production of the optical zoom system are presented. Compared with a conventional optical zoom system in which the moveable parts are shifted along the optical axis, the volume is compact and the moving range for the movable part is greatly decreased. Such a zoom lens system may be suitable for miniature cameras for autofocus and fast zooming. Due to the fabrication errors of the freeform surfaces at that time [2015], and the assembly tolerances of the movable elements, the image quality was not sufficiently good. uVo should be able to solve the freeform surface fabrication issues to achieve a high image quality in future work.  This work is covered by the Alvarez patent family.

Zemax Envision, Sep 2021
Freeform Lens Elements Manufacturing With OpticStudio and uVo Support
uVo development process answers manufacturability questions and make people feel safer about designing and producing freeform elements. For all these years uVo does this with strong link to OpticStudio, containing so many means that allow adjusting OpticStudio to the most modern manufacturing needs.

SPIE, Jul 2021
Freeform Optical Elements Usage in Imaging Optical System Design
In this work freeform elements advantages, design steps and applications were disclosed and described with main goal to show the limitless possibilities associated with freeform usage. With anticipation of all the modern advances progressing more in the future freeform element have a clear path of soon becoming next standard in imaging optical system design.

Zemax, Mar 2021
Optical Zoom Based on Alvarez Freeform Elements
Alvarez Zoom is an amazing optical system where optical zoom is provided by lateral shift of free-form lenses. This article explains main principles of Alvarez Zoom lens and includes a demonstration of an Alvarez Zoom lens calculation and modeling in Zemax Optic Studio. 

Elibrary, 2020
Calculation of Optical Systems of Spectrometers and Hyper Spectrometers Based on Freeform Mirrors
Based on Ofner's classic design with a three-mirror lens, a variant with a two-mirror lens and improved performance was obtained by using free-form surfaces.uVo was presented - a program for modeling optical surfaces, generating NC code for three-coordinate diamond turning machines, compensating for surface manufacturing errors. The shape of the mirrors of the final version was analyzed using the uVo program - the possibility of their manufacture was proved.

Zemax Envision, Oct 2020
Making the Most of Freeform Optical Systems Using OpticStudio
Using flexibility of the freeform lens one can optimize image quality as one wants. While classical rotationally symmetric surface can be described by several equations, Freeform optical elements that can be divided into single plane symmetry surfaces, double plane symmetry surfaces and surfaces with no plane of symmetry and can also be described by different equation types.

OSA, Nov 2018
Design and Fabrication of Hyperspectral Systems With Freeform Optical Elements
Design of optical system, containing two-mirror off-axis telescope and Offner spectrometer with freeform mirror usage is presented in this paper. For of such mirrors “uVo” manufacturing software can be used, allowing fabrication of freeform elements using conventional 3 axis diamond turning machines.

 
 
 

Perspectives on Modern Optics and Imaging:
With Practical Examples Using Zemax Opticstudio

DynaOptics is featured in section 3.3.3, page 245

How would an optical engineer develop a basic model of Google's "Glass" wearable computing device in optical design software? What about an autostereoscopic "glasses-free" 3D display on a mobile phone? Did you know that the brightest position behind a focusing lens is generally not at the focal plane? Or how about the fact that there actually isn't such a thing as the so-called "cosine fourth power law" for the relative illumination of a lens system? These questions (and more) are answered in this new book by an industry expert, Ronian Siew (with a Foreword by Mark Nicholson, CEO of Zemax LLC).

Buy Now

Ronian Siew believes that a chance encounter with a flashlight at the age of three had planted a subconscious aspiration in him to become an optical engineer. At the age of eleven, using scrap lenses salvaged from junk, he began constructing simple optical systems that, arguably, worked "just as I expected, more or less". Today, his professional optical designs have included a variety of imaging and detection systems that, to the best of his knowledge, actually works as he had expected. Ronian holds a Master of Science in Optics and a degree in physics from the University of Rochester, and he is the author of a number of peer-refereed scientific articles. He is also the author of that "bright red book" on modern optics and imaging (whose design examples are now available as sample lens files in the latest release of Zemax OpticStudio).