Implementation of field lens arrays in beam-deflecting microlens array telescopes

Laterally displaceable microlens array telescopes allow for variable and fast beam deflection. The generation of spurious light usually leads to a reduction of transfer efficiency with increasing displacement. We present the introduction of an array of field lenses on the back side of a recollimating microlens array that results in a reduced deflection angle dependency of transfer efficiency. A paraxial matrix formalism is used to prove the theoretical elimination of spurious light by use of a field lens array. The fabrication of well-aligned double-sided lens arrays by UV replication is discussed. Measurements of transfer efficiency with and without the use of field lens arrays are compared with the results of numerical wave-optic simulations. (C) 2004 Optical Society of America.