ABSTRACT
Conventional optical system design employs spherical and aspherical lenses, prisms, mirrors, apertures, etc. as optical elements in order to achieve the desired functionality of the optical system. The introduction of microoptics provides new degrees of freedom for the system design and, therefore, also for the functionality. It allows solutions that are not possible with purely conventional optics. This entry presents and discusses the multifaceted advantages that microoptics can bring to optical systems. Two main advantages are the large miniaturization potential and the possibility to combine several optical functions on one optical surface. Different applications are presented illustrating these advantages and new degrees of freedom microoptics can bring to optical system design. This includes a diode-laser beam-shaping device for application in rangefinder systems with extended measurement range. We also discuss A-DOEs, which show a nearly wavelength-independent high-diffraction efficiency over a large spectral bandwidth. Multifunctional elements that combine several optical functions in one microoptical element are presented. Finally, new trends in multiple-aperture microlens imaging are presented.
