System design process for refractive simultaneous short and long wave infrared imaging.

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Infrared Technology
• Multispectral Imaging

Background:

• Detector technology advancements necessitate imaging across short-wave infrared (SWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectrums.
• Designing optical systems for broad spectral ranges presents significant technical challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the technical hurdles in designing a refractor for multispectral imaging across SWIR and LWIR spectrums.
• To outline a feasible design process for a high-performance multispectral optical system.

Main Methods:

• Detailed optical design of an eight-element F/1 refractor with a 23° field of view.
• Analysis of optomechanical design, including stress and tolerance error evaluation.
• Development of antireflection coating designs for the complete optical system.

Main Results:

• A comprehensive design for an F/1, 23° field of view multispectral refractor was developed.
• Key optical design challenges, including chromatic focal shift and contrast maximization, were addressed.
• Optomechanical and antireflection coating considerations were integrated into the feasibility study.

Conclusions:

• The presented design demonstrates the feasibility of creating advanced multispectral imaging devices.
• This work provides a foundational approach for future optical designs in multispectral imaging.
• Successful integration of optical, optomechanical, and coating designs is crucial for multispectral system performance.