Open AccessDepth of field extension with spherical optics
Author(s) -
Pantazis Mouroulis
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.16.012995
Subject(s) - optics , achromatic lens , wavefront , spatial frequency , lens (geology) , azimuth , diffraction , spherical aberration , physics , chromatic aberration , optical aberration , image resolution , chromatic scale
The introduction of spherical aberration in a lens design can be used to extend the depth of field while preserving resolution up to half the maximum diffraction-limited spatial frequency. Two low-power microscope objectives are shown that achieve an extension of +/- 0.88 lambda in terms of wavefront error, which is shown to be comparable to alternative techniques but without the use of special phase elements. The lens performance is azimuth-independent and achromatic over the visible range.