Method of making high precision optics having a wavefront profile
OwnerShui T. Laiinventor
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Abstract
A method of generating a high precision optical surface profile includes obtaining a high precision optical surface profile which contains information of the optical path difference map of the profile. A substrate material has a known index of refraction, Ns, while a cover material has an index Nc that is more closely matched to the index Ns of the substrate material than the index of air Nair to Ns. An exaggerated surface profile is cut that is proportionally expanded from the high precision profile by a factor: (Ns−Nair) divided by (Ns−Nc). The cut surface profile is covered with the cover material.
Claims31
An optical element having a wavefront profile for correcting wavefront aberrations, comprising:
- (a) a substrate comprising a material having an index of refraction Ns;
- (b) a cut surface of the substrate cut to a profile that mimics the wavefront profile wherein said surface cut to said profile is expanded from the wavefront profile by a factor of (Ns−Nair) divided by the absolute value of (Ns−Nc), where Nair is the index of refraction of air;
- and
- (c) a cover comprising a material having an index of refraction Nc covering the cut surface of the substrate.
An optical element having a wavefront profile, configured to form an ophthalmic lens for correcting refractive errors of the eye, comprising:
- (a) a substrate comprising a material having an refractive index Ns, and having a front and a back surface;
- (b) a cover comprising cover material having a refractive index Nc
- (c) a cut profile on the front surface of the substrate material, wherein the cut profile corresponds to the wavefront profile expanded by a factor of (Ns−1) divided by the absolute value of (Ns−Nc);
- and
- (d) a window covering the cover material;
- and
- (e) wherein refractive power of the ophthalmic lens is provided by a shape profile at a surface of the window or by a shape profile at the back surface of the substrate, or both.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.