Freeform optics are custom-designed optical components with irregular surface shapes, enabling precise light manipulation. Unlike traditional symmetric optical components, freeform optics offer unique advantages, such as compactness, weight reduction, enhanced performance, and tailored functionality.
Here’s an in-depth of the challenges associated with freeform optics, categorized into key aspects:
1. Complex Design and Modeling
– Optical Design Software Limitations: Traditional optical design software is primarily tailored to rotationally symmetric systems, lacking advanced features for handling the intricate geometries of freeform surfaces. While software capabilities are improving, challenges persist in ray tracing, wavefront analysis, and optimization.