Design of freeform imaging systems with linear field-of-view using a construction and iteration process

In this paper, a design method based on a construction and iteration process is proposed for designing freeform imaging systems with linear field-of-view (FOV). The surface contours of the desired freeform surfaces in the tangential plane are firstly designed to control the tangential rays of multiple field angles and different pupil coordinates. Then, the image quality is improved with an iterative process. The design result can be taken as a good starting point for further optimization. A freeform off-axis scanning system is designed as an example of the proposed method. The convergence ability of the construction and iteration process to design a freeform system from initial planes is validated. The MTF of the design result is close to the diffraction limit and the scanning error is less than 1 μm. This result proves that good image quality and scanning linearity were achieved.