Introduction to Optical System Design and Certification with Zemax OpticStudio

This course was offered by SPIE from 2020-2023. Contact Zemax with questions about this course.

Level: Introductory
Length: 6.5 hours
Format: Online

Intended Audience:
This course is intended for engineers and students who need to use or design optical systems, want to understand the principles of image formation by optical systems, and are interested in an introduction to Zemax’s OpticStudio UI. A background in optics is useful but not necessary with Zemax OpticStudio. By the end of the course, these techniques will allow the design and analysis of relatively sophisticated optical systems.

Description:
This course is a collaboration between Zemax and SPIE. Access to the Zemax OpticStudio software is required. If you are a university student enrolled in an optics course you can apply for free use of OpticStudio through the Zemax Global Academic Program. Apply for the program here.


If you have questions regarding Zemax OpticStudio please visit the Zemax Academic page for resources and FAQ’s. Questions regarding the Zemax Global Academic Program and support for the course can be emailed to: academic@zemax.com


This Optical System Design Course series provides all the necessary knowledge to get you up and running with Zemax OpticStudio sequential mode. You will learn how to model, analyze, and optimize various optical systems, while learning how to use tools and features included in Zemax. The course is designed as a learning path towards certification in Zemax Optical System Design. This introductory course helps users understand OpticStudio user interface, provides an overview of optical design theory, and explains glass properties and how the Material Catalog works. In the second module the course reviews first and third optics while showing several useful OpticStudio analyses that can be used to assess the aberrations of the optical system. In the third module, starting with the example of a simple singlet, this course explains how to perform an optimization in OpticStudio. It also describes how the Optimization Wizard can be used to define typical performance targets, how to constrain the optimization to physically meaningful results and how to create your own complex operand.

Learning Outcomes:
This course will enable you to:
- develop skills to optimize the introduction to Zemax OpticStudio UI
- make your first lens
- state glass properties
- describe the Material Catalog
- apply skills to add a new monochromatic glass
- apply skills to add a new polychromatic glass
- explain first order optics
- describe chief and marginal rays
- summarize stop and pupils
- define Rays
- discuss wavefront and ray aberrations
- discuss third order aberration
- explain aberration spotting
- apply skills towards the conservation of energy
- explain how to perform optimization of a simple singlet
- identify merit function and optimization operands
- explain Local Optimization Wizard
- develop Pupil integration
- create boundary operands
- create complex operands

Instructor(s):