Abstract

Previous work on the desensitization of the performance of optical multilayer designs to production errors in the construction parameters is reviewed. Two new methods developed at the NRCC are described. The first makes use of a compound merit function, which is composed of the basic merit function describing the performance of the system and another term based on the derivatives of this basic merit function with respect to the construction parameters. In the second method, a systematic search is performed in the construction parameter hyperspace over a volume that is centered on the parameters of the starting design and which is defined in terms of the likely construction parameter errors. The second method has the advantage that it can be used for systems composed of many layers. Both methods are illustrated by numerical examples.

© 1991 Optical Society of America