An image quality evaluation method for DOE-based camera lenses

Abstract

A novel image quality evaluation method, which is based on combination of the rigorous grating diffraction theory and the ray-optic method, is proposed. It is applied for design optimization and tolerance analysis of optical imaging systems implementing diffractive optical elements (DOE). The evaluation method can predict the quality and resolution of the image on the image sensor plane through the optical imaging system. Especially, we can simulate the effect of diffraction efficiencies of DOE in the camera lenses module, which is very effective for predicting different color sense and MTF performance. Using this method, we can effectively determine the fabrication tolerances of diffractive and refractive optical elements such as the variations in profile thickness, and the shoulder of the DOE, as well as conventional parameters such as decenter and tilt in optical-surface alignments. A DOE-based 2M-resolution camera lens module designed by the optimization process based on the proposed image quality evaluation method shows ∼15% MTF improvement compared with a design without such an optimization.