Abstract

The imaging capabilities of graded index materials hold considerable promise for a wide variety of applications. As the technology developes it is likely that several different processing technigues will be developed to provide the range of index profiles desired by lens designers. While these may provide the desired profile they may also exhibit process induced perturbations which will detract from overall imaging performance. One example of such a process and perturbation is the vapor deposition technique (1) used in fabricating optical waveguides in which an index depression (2) is often present in the profile. The subject of this work is to analytically determine the effect which such an axial perturbation can have on imaging performance.

© 1981 Optical Society of America