High quality optical components for consumer products made of glass and plastic are mostly fabricated by replication. This highly developed production technology requires several consecutive, well-matched processing steps called a "process chain" covering all steps from mold design, advanced machining and coating of molds, up to the actual replication and final precision measurement of the quality of the optical components. Current market demands for leading edge optical applications require high precision and cost effective parts in large volumes. For meeting these demands it is necessary to develop high quality process chains and moreover, to crosslink all demands and interdependencies within these process chains. The Transregional Collaborative Research Center "Process chains for the replication of complex optical elements" at Bremen, Aachen and Stillwater worked extensively and thoroughly in this field from 2001 to 2012. This volume will present the latest scientific results for the complete process chain giving a profound insight into present-day high-tech production.

"Given the many different applications and uses of diffractive optics, the importance of this field cannot be underestimated. This book supplements the available literature on diffractive optic elements (DOEs) by equipping readers with the skills to begin designing, simulating, and fabricating diffractive optics. The design of DOEs is presented with simple equations and step-by-step procedures for simulation--from the simplest 1D grating to the more complex multifunctional DOEs--and analyzing their diffraction patterns using MATLAB. The fundamentals of fabrication techniques such as photolithography, electron beam lithography, and focused ion beam lithography with basic instructions for the beginner are presented. Basic error analysis and error-correction techniques for a few cases are also discussed. The contents of all the chapters are supported throughout by practical exercises and clearly commented MATLAB® codes (the codes are also on an accompanying CD), making this book useful even to a novice programmer"--

Provides optical designers, shop managers, opticians, and purchasers a concise reference explaining what the designer needs to know before making final choices and how to specify the components before they are ordered. It presents how conventional fabrication proceeds for representative components, alternative and emerging methods to optical fabrication, product evaluation, and the calculations used.

Optical science and engineering affect almost every aspect of our lives. Millions of miles of optical fiber carry voice and data signals around the world. Lasers are used in surgery of the retina, kidneys, and heart. New high-efficiency light sources promise dramatic reductions in electricity consumption. Night-vision equipment and satellite surveillance are changing how wars are fought. Industry uses optical methods in everything from the production of computer chips to the construction of tunnels. Harnessing Light surveys this multitude of applications, as well as the status of the optics industry and of research and education in optics, and identifies actions that could enhance the field's contributions to society and facilitate its continued technical development.

This book provides the reader with the broad range of materials that were discussed in a series of short courses presented at Georgia Tech on the design, fabrication, and testing of diffractive optical elements (DOEs). Although there are not long derivations or detailed methods for specific engineering calculations, the reader should be familiar and comfortable with basic computational techniques. This text is not a 'cookbook' for producing DOEs, but it should provide readers with sufficient information to assess whether this technology would benefit their work, and to understand the requirements for using the concepts and techniques presented by the authors.

This edited volume reviews the current state of the art in the additive manufacturing of optical componentry, exploring key principles, materials, processes and applications. A short introduction lets readers familiarize themselves with the fundamental principles of the 3D printing method. This is followed by a chapter on commonly-used and emerging materials for printing of optical components, and subsequent chapters are dedicated to specific topics and case studies. The high potential of additive manufactured optical components is presented based on different manufacturing techniques and accompanied with extensive examples – from nanooptics to large scale optics – and taking research and industrial perspectives. Readers are provided with an extensive overview of the new possibilities brought about by this alternative method for optical components manufacture. Finally, the limitations of the method with respect to manufacturing techniques, materials and optical properties of the generated objects are discussed. With contributions from experts in academia and industry, this work will appeal to a wide readership, from undergraduate students through engineers to researchers interested in modern methods of manufacturing optical components.