End-to-end hybrid infrared imaging system design with thermal analysis

The hybrid refractive-diffractive optical system exhibits strong capabilities in achromatic and athermal imaging, as well as in information encoding. This paper presents a novel end-to-end design framework for refractive-diffractive hybrid optical imaging systems. Utilizing a differential hybrid ray-tracing model, the framework simultaneously optimizes optical and neural network parameters. It allows for the design of diffractive optical elements (DOE) on aspheric substrates, enhancing flexibility and enabling applications in infrared optics. The integrated thermal analysis facilitates the development of athermal hybrid optical systems by combining them with an advanced restoration network. When applied to a single-lens short-wave infrared (SWIR) system, this approach outperforms traditional discrete design methods in both simulations and experiments, demonstrating its significant potential for future optical applications.