The optical advantages of curved focal plane arrays.
The design of optical systems for digital cameras is complicated by the requirement that the image surface be planar, which results in complex and expensive optics. We analyze a compact optical system with a curved image surface and compare its performance to systems with planarimage surfaces via optics analysis and image system simulation. Our analysis shows that a curved image surface provides a way to lower the number of optical elements, reduce aberrations including astigmatism and coma, and increase off-axis brightness and sharpness. A method to fabricate curved image focal plane arrays using monolithic silicon is demonstrated.
Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
Seung-Bum
SB
Rim
Peter B
PB
Catrysse
Rostam
R
Dinyari
Kevin
K
Huang
Peter
P
Peumans
D003198:Computer Simulation; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007909:Lenses; D008904:Miniaturization; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010781:Photography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*