Abstract: A finishing and coating apparatus combines finishing and coating optical components into one vacuum apparatus. The apparatus includes a vacuum system, a substrate holder, a finisher including a laser engine and a beam delivery apparatus, and a coating source. The finisher is configured to finish the optical components prior to coating the optical components. The finisher includes a laser engine and a laser beam delivery apparatus configured to direct a beam from the laser engine toward each of the optical components.

Abstract: An optical system includes a first optical component including a reflective surface opposing a second optical component; and the second optical component including a non-flat reflective surface opposing the first optical component, wherein a portion of the first optical component allows an optical pulse to pass through the first optical component and reflect off the non-flat reflective surface, an arrangement of the first optical component and the second optical component defines a self-focusing cavity that refocuses the optical pulse and controls divergence of the optical pulse, and at least one of the reflective surface and the non-flat reflective surface is coated with a group delay dispersion (GDD) coating.

Abstract: The disclosure relates generally to optical systems, and more particularly, optical systems for temporal compression or stretching of optical pulses.

Abstract: A mirror includes an optical portion including an optical surface opposite to a rear surface of the optical portion; and a mounting stem protruding from the rear surface of the optical portion and configured to mount to an optical mount.

Abstract: An optical element includes a first surface and an opposed second surface. A refractive index of the optical element varies from a center of the optical element to a perimeter of the optical element such that the optical element is configured to convert a Gaussian input beam introduced to the first surface into an output beam from the second surface with a substantially flat irradiance profile along at least one axis. The optical element can have a refractive index that varies along an axis perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical element and has a profile that is concave up at a center of the optical element.

Abstract: The disclosure relates generally to optical systems, and more particularly, optical systems for temporal compression or stretching of optical pulses.

Abstract: A reflective beam conditioner includes a monolithic body having two or more minors and at least one alignment feature. The at least one alignment feature has a predetermined orientation or position with respect to at least one of the two or more mirrors. The two or more minors are configured such that, in use, a beam reflects once sequentially off of each of the mirrors. A method of manufacturing such a reflective beam conditioner includes providing a monolithic body. The method further includes restraining the monolithic body to a machining fixture. The method further includes forming a first minor, a second minor, and an alignment feature in the monolithic body with the monolithic body restrained in the machining fixture.

Abstract: A finishing and coating apparatus is configured for power polishing optical components. The apparatus includes a housing, a substrate holder, a vacuum pump system, a laser, and a coating source. The housing defines a chamber and the substrate holder is disposed within the chamber and configured to hold one or more optical components. The vacuum pump system is configured to create a vacuum within the chamber. The laser includes a laser engine and a laser beam delivery apparatus configured to direct a beam from the laser engine toward the one or more optical components. The laser is configured to finish the one or more optical components prior to coating the one or more optical components.

Abstract: The optical transfer function of imaging optics is carried out with a plurality of tilted edges with respect to the edge-response detection line. The effect of the tilt is to stretch out the edge response so that fine details can be detected even operating at a spatial frequency below the Nyquist limit of the detector. The use of multiple targets, each corresponding to a sub-region of the field of view of the optics being tested, enables the simultaneous characterization of the full field of view of the test optics with a single measurement without the use of a magnifying objective. The result is a rapid measurement and a simpler apparatus suitable for high-throughput testing. A pair of tilted edges can be used in a target to also determine the sagittal and tangential OTFs (as well as that of any other arbitrary cross-section). All of these data are acquired with a single measurement.

Abstract: A non-uniform light source is combined with a system including an integrating light pipe, a mask placed at the output of the light pipe, and a focusing element placed one focal length beyond the light pipe output at an angle appropriate for directing the light toward the illumination plane of the system. The purpose of the mask is to attenuate areas of the light pipe output that correspond to high irradiance regions at the illumination plane. Accordingly, this combination of optical components produces light with desired irradiance profile, including a substantially uniform irradiance profile, at the illumination plane.

Abstract: Two integrating light pipes are optically coupled to a focusing element to produce light with uniform irradiance and intensity profiles. The first ILP stage is used to receive spatially non-uniform light from a single or multi-color source and produce a uniform irradiance distribution while leaving the intensity distribution substantially unaltered. The focusing optical element swaps the irradiance and intensity distributions received from the output of the first ILP and feeds it to a second ILP stage which, in turn, completes the spatial homogenization of the light by transforming the non-uniform irradiance received from the focusing element into an output of uniform irradiance. As a result of this sequence of transformations, a homogeneous multi-color light output, both in intensity and irradiance, is produced.

Abstract: A reflector chamber, used to couple a light source to a downstream light-transport medium, includes a forward reflector which folds the light impinging upon it forward and a backward reflector that folds backwards the light received from the light source or the forward reflector. The two reflectors are judiciously shaped so as to maximize the energy density at the output aperture with an angle of emission within the numerical aperture of the downstream medium. The forward reflector is preferably shaped substantially flat and coplanar with the light source. The backward reflector is preferably a concave section. A diverging light reflector may be added to the output aperture of the coupler in order to increase its efficiency.

Abstract: An ILP comprises a rotationally symmetric surface in an outer structure serving as a spatial limiter and an inner optical surface that is rotationally asymmetric in cross-section disposed lengthwise within the outer structure. The inner surface acts as a conventional light-integrator and is designed to allow a portion of the homogenized light to spread toward the rotationally symmetric surface upon propagation. As a result, by the time the light reaches the end of the ILP, the entire circular area at its output facet is filled with uniform-irradiance light.