Passive athermalization and achromatization of a two-component system with air gap.

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Optoelectronic Devices

Background:

• Passive athermalization is crucial for maintaining spatial resolution over a wide temperature range without manual refocusing.
• Previous studies on passive athermalization often simplified lens components, neglecting thickness and air gaps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of air gaps on passive athermalization in optical systems.
• To derive general expressions for athermal achromatic systems considering air gaps.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of two-lens optical components with included air gaps.
• Derivation of general mathematical expressions for athermal achromatic conditions.

Main Results:

• The inclusion of air gaps significantly expands the solution space for athermal system design.
• The derived expressions provide a foundation for more complex athermal optical schemes.

Conclusions:

• Incorporating air gaps is a fundamental step for designing advanced athermal optical systems.
• The proposed method facilitates the development of athermal systems for diverse optoelectronic applications.