Introduction to Optical Alignment Techniques

Level: Introductory Length: 7 hours Format: In-Person Lecture Intended Audience: This course is directed toward engineers and technicians needing basic practical information and techniques to achieve alignment of simple optical systems, as well as seemingly more complicated off-axis aspheric mirrors. To benefit most from this course you will need a basic knowledge of the elementary properties of lenses and optical systems (i.e. focal lengths, f/numbers, magnification, and other imaging properties) and a working knowledge of simple interferometry. Some familiarity with the basic aberrations such as spherical aberration, coma, and astigmatism will be helpful. Description: This course discusses the equipment, techniques, tricks, and skills necessary to align optical systems and devices. You learn to identify errors in an optical system, and how to align lens systems. Learning Outcomes: This course will enable you to: - diagnose (qualitatively and quantitively) what is wrong with an optical system by simply observing these fundamental imaging errors - determine if errors in the optical system are due to misalignment errors or other factors such as fabrication, design, or mounting problems - recognize and understand the fundamental imaging errors associated with optical systems - align basic lens systems and telescopes - use the variety of tools available for aligning optical systems, and more importantly, how to "tweak" logically the adjustments on these devices so that the alignment proceeds quickly and efficiently - align more complex optical systems such as those containing off-axis aspheric surfaces, and maintain alignment using automatic mounting techniques Instructor(s): Kenneth R. Castle Ph.D., is a Sr. Optical Engineer and co-founder of Ruda Optical, Inc., an optical engineering consulting firm located in Tucson, Arizona. Ken worked with Mitch Ruda, the originator of this course, for 28 years. Mitch passed away August 31, 2013, and Ruda Optical is continuing the tradition of this course in his memory. Event: SPIE Optics + Photonics 2023 Course Held: 22 August 2023