Project Title:

All-Diffractive Acromatic Lens

94-1	08.06	9095

All-Diffractive Acromatic Lens

Abstract:

SY Technology, Inc. proposes to design, fabricate, test, and 
deliver to NASA an innovative all-diffractive broadband achromat. 
Typical imaging systems for NASA's astronomical and earth observing 
missions require broadband achromatic (white light) designs. 
Broadband imaging optical systems are generally designed with 
conventional reflective or refractive elements. For space 
applications such as telescopes, these elements tend to be heavy, 
costly aspheric elements. Binary optics is a 
relatively new technology which promises to reduce weight and 
cost of telescope systems. However, the high dispersion 
(wavelength sensitivity) of these elements is currently a 
problem in utilizing binary optics technology in NASA 
applications. The current method of combining binary optics with 
refractive elements (often referred to as hybrid 
refractive/diffractive lenses) to achieve achromatic performance 
has had limited success. Thus, the potential benefits of binary 
optics technology has not yet been fully realized. 
SY Technology has discovered a method to achieve achromatic 
performance using an innovative new Binary Optical Element 
(BOE). Since only BOEs are used, the lens is considerably 
lighter than current hybrid refractive/diffractive lenses. The 
innovative new BOE incorporates a phase function which cannot be 
designed or analyzed by commercial lens design programs. Unique 
proprietary software must be used to design these elements. 
Preliminary investigations at SY Technology demonstrate superior 
broadband performance of these unique new BOEs over currently 
available BOEs. This effort will result in a major advancement 
of BOE design methodology and a greater utilization of BOE 
technology in NASA applications as well as in numerous 
commercial products.  

This research clearly has applications that extend beyond 
NASA's missions. There are numerous applications for this 
technology in the military and commercial markets as well. A 
few of these applications include: optical CD ROM heads, laser 
diode optics, white light optical computers, ultralight 
consumer telescopes or binoculars, ultralight sensors and 
seekers for aerospace applications, and any optical 
application where weight is a consideration. 

KEY WORDS

SY Technology, Inc.
4900 University Square, Suite 8
Huntsville, AL  35816