Diffractive Elements in the Optical System: Successes, Challenges, and Solutions

Abstract

Correction of aberrations is regarded as one of the most successful applications of diffractive optical elements in the optical system. The ways of overcoming these negative properties of the diffractive elements as spherochromatism and power spectral selectivity are presented. Using the technique given in this paper, a compact plastic–lens refractive–diffractive objective, which can operate in a wide spectral range including the visible and near-infrared radiation, has been designed.