Abstract

Acoustooptic system technology has expanded owing to its patent advantages in certain important signal processing operations over other methods. Optical elements are essential components of these systems but must satisfy unique constraints. For example, wavefront shapes are typically Gaussian to avoid disrupting secondary maxima, which can require unique apodization techniques. This paper examines some optical features including beam expansion techniques, aberration correction, optimum wavefront shapes, resolution limiting elements, polarization requirements and effects, and dielectric vs metallic reflectors, light sources, and the effects of the Bragg materials on wavefront properties. In general, optical tolerances are very tight, but there are important mitigating factors, mostly because of the special system properties. Certain new technologies such as molded glass aspheric lenses, solid state lasers, and crystal growing and detector arrays can greatly advance the state of the art. Included is an overview of some of these areas.

© 1988 Optical Society of America