Optimal collimation of misaligned optical systems by concentering primary field aberrations

A collimation method of misaligned optical systems is proposed. The method is based on selectively nullifying main alignment-driven aberration components. This selective compensation is achieved by the optimal adjustment of chosen alignment parameters. It is shown that this optimal adjustment can be obtained by solving a linear matrix equation of the low-order alignment-driven terms of primary field aberrations. A significant result from the adjustment is to place the centers of the primary field aberrations, initially scattered over the field due to misalignment, to a desired common field location. This aberration concentering naturally results in recovery of image quality across the field of view. Error analyses and robustness tests show the method's feasibility in efficient removal of alignment-driven aberrations in the face of measurement and model uncertainties. The extension of the method to the collimation of a misaligned system with higher-order alignment-driven aberrations is also shown. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America