Course Detail | Education and Courses from SPIE: SPIE

Length: 5 hours
Course Level: Introductory
Instructor: Mitchell C. Ruda, Ruda & Associates, Inc. (United States)

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CD: Member: $299.00  |  Non-member: $335.00
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Video - Site License: Member: $1,335.00  |  Non-member: $1,335.00

Course Details

This course will concentrate on the equipment and skills necessary to align optical devices. Simple quantitative and qualitative techniques for diagnosing misalignment errors will be covered. Instruction will be given on the use of some of the most basic tools used in the alignment of optical systems. Classic alignment examples, i.e. the alignment of lens elements and reflecting telescopes will be demonstrated in detail. It will also be shown how seemingly complicated alignment problems such as the alignment of an off-axis aspheric optical system can be achieved using the simple skills taught in this course.

Learning Outcomes

This course will enable you to:

recognize and understand the fundamental imaging and wavefront errors associated with misaligned optical systems
diagnose (quantitatively and qualitatively) what's wrong with an optical system by simply observing these fundamental imaging errors
determine if errors in the optical system are due to misalignment errors or other factors such as fabrication, design, or mounting problems
use the variety of tools available for aligning optical systems, and more importantly, how to "tweak"logically the adjustments on these devices so the alignment proceeds quickly and efficiently
align optical systems such as camera lenses and telescopes, as well as more complicated systems employing off-axis aspheric surfaces.

Part I: Introduction and Basic Fundamentals (57 minutes)

identify fields drawn upon for successful optical alignment
describe the difference between an alignment plan and a procedure
explain the general philosophy on how to align an optical system
define fundamental terms and tools
discuss the wavefront polynomial expansion

Part II: Recognizing the Elementary Third-Order Aberrations and Their Role in Optical Alignment (53 minutes)

describe methods for estimating focus
explain the relationship between longitudinal magnification and alignment spacing tolerances
describe coma and spherical aberration as diagnostic alignment tools
distinguish alignment-induced aberrations from other types of system aberrations

Part III: The Description and Use of Basic Alignment Tools and Techniques (53 minutes)

explain the role of the alignment telescope
describe the alignment telescope
show how to align a single optical surface
describe the use of the autostigmatic cube
show how to use a lateral shear interferometer
describe how to check for vignetting

Part IV: Classic Alignment Examples (53 minutes)

explain alignment of lens elements
describe three ways to align a Cassegrain telescope

Part V: Alignment of Off-Axis Aspheric Optical Systems (48 minutes)

demonstrate techniques for aligning off-axis parabolas
explain how to align a stand-alone general aspheric

Intended Audience

This course is directed toward engineers and technicians needing basic, practical information and techniques to achieve alignment of simple optical systems, as well as seemingly more complicated off-axis aspheric systems

Instructor

Mitchell C. Ruda Ph.D., is president of Ruda & Associates, Inc., an optical engineering consulting firm, located in Tucson, Arizona. He is a fellow of SPIE.

Note