This course provides attendees with practical and directly applicable design and evaluation guidelines and tools for the initial layout of infrared systems. Simple but powerful expressions are developed as approximations to quickly assess expected system performance. Since single point diamond turning has become such an effective method for producing IR components, including aspheres and diffractive elements, details and practical hints are presented for using these elements in the design phase of IR systems.

This course will provide the attendee with the fundamentals of single point diamond turning (SPDT) and its applications for manufacturing optical elements and systems. An introduction to fundamental optical design principles is included for better understanding of aberration effects and the advantages of aspheric and diffractive surfaces, which can be routinely generated by the process of diamond turning. Materials suitable for the process (metals, crystals and plastics) will be discussed. The limits of precision of SPDT in terms of surface figure, finish and irregularity will be covered. The course examines alternative optical configurations, not suitable for conventional construction, such as monolithic collimators and "snap-together" optomechanical assemblies. Included are several examples demonstrating how such elements and systems are designed to fully take advantage of this manufacturing method.