Inverse-designed lightweight, planar focus lenses for Vis to LWIR hyperspectral imaging

ĀIn this Phase 1 SBIR project, Oblate Optics will demonstrate feasibility of this innovative technology by creating the optical system with these nominal specifications (which can be adjusted based on input from stakeholders):ĀlĀ= 500nm to 12mm, effective focal length = 100mm, diameter = 100mm, and with as high a performance as as possible. We propose to use single-point diamond turning of Potassium Bromide (which we have prior experience with) using a commercially-available diamond-turning process for the final device. This process is extensible to larger apertures as required. After fabrication of prototypes, we will characterize their performance by measuring the wavelength-resolved point-spread function utilizing facilities at the Naval Research Laboratories (see letter of support attached). The performance will be compared against alternatives. However, we note that we are not aware of alternatives that cover this wavelength range, therefore comparison can only be made to separate optical systems that cover smaller portions of the total wavelength range.Ā