Abstract

Classical optical design is mainly focused on the reduction of aberrations in the image plane of optical systems. Thus, generally the goal is to synthesize a two-dimensional response that generates an image as close to the object as possible in this plane. The advent of imaging techniques such as wavefront coding, coherence imaging, confocal microscopy, and tomography, opens the way to unconventional optical design techniques that are currently being developed. These techniques are based on wave-optics designs rather than geometrical optics. Moreover, it is possible to identify several imaging and sensing situations in which a three-dimensional (3D) design is preferred or required. Several methods for 3D design have already been proposed and implemented [1,2].

© 2003 Optical Society of America