There is a saying that a system can only be built to a specification to the extent that it can be measured precisely for manufacturing defects. As manufacturing capability has advanced, the need to measure components to very tight precision has required new technologies. Interferometers are systems that use the interference of optical waves to measure very small displacements, often the figure of an optical surface. Interferometric optical systems have two optical paths, a reference arm and a test arm. The reference arm provides a highly accurate reference surface to which a surface under test is compared. The reflected wavefronts from these surfaces interfere at a sensor and provide a fringe pattern that is indicative of the differences.

Quadoa simplifies the modeling of interferometers in a few ways. The object-based optical model allows intuitive setup of components in relative or absolute coordinates. Multi-sequential raytracing separates the optical system definition from the raytrace sequence through the system. Combining the two accelerates system setup and simplifies modeling. There is no need for coordinate shifting surfaces or multi-configurations ignoring components to simulate multiple optical paths.

Laser Systems

The invention of the laser has revolutionized industries as disparate as manufacturing and medical care, consumer electronics and space systems. Lasers are devices that emit monochromatic light that has a high degree of collimation and polarization. These properties...

Fiber Systems

Fiber optics are critical parts of modern telecommunication infrastructure and many other applications. Their ability to transmit data at high-bandwidths and with small loss has enabled the global internet as we know it. Optical systems that couple light from a source...

Interferometers

There is a saying that a system can only be built to a specification to the extent that it can be measured precisely for manufacturing defects. As manufacturing capability has advanced, the need to measure components to very tight precision has required new...

Cameras & Telescopes

The oldest types of optical systems are image forming cameras and telescopes. The first camera, the camera obscura, had no lenses or mirrors at all and simply used a pinhole to map an object scene to an image scene. The human eye served as the foundation of our...

Virtual/Augmented Reality

Mixed reality hardware and the associated software platforms have the potential to revolutionize the digital world and how we interact with it. Many industry experts believe MR hardware will replace smart phones as the dominant platform for people to access the...