Optimized asymmetrical tangent phase mask to obtain defocus invariant modulation transfer function in incoherent...

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Digital Imaging
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Wavefront coding is an optical-digital hybrid imaging technique.
• It is used to extend the depth of field by designing phase masks.
• Phase mask design is crucial for achieving invariant imaging properties under defocus.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel phase mask with a tangent function for wavefront coding.
• To enrich the library of odd symmetrical phase masks.
• To evaluate the performance of the proposed tangent phase mask.

Main Methods:

• The proposed tangent phase mask was designed.
• Its performance was evaluated using optical-digital hybrid imaging principles.
• Comparative analysis was performed against cubic, improved-1 logarithmic, improved-2 logarithmic, and sinusoidal phase masks.

Main Results:

• The tangent phase mask demonstrated superior performance in extending the depth of field.
• It showed improved invariant imaging properties over a wide range of defocus compared to other masks.
• The odd symmetrical nature of the tangent mask contributes to its effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• The tangent phase mask is a promising new design for wavefront coding applications.
• It offers enhanced depth of field extension capabilities.
• This research contributes to the advancement of optical-digital imaging techniques.