The most challenging optical designs today need sophisticated and precise non-spherical surface shapes. A new surface formulation specified by G.W. Forbes describes a “freeform” surface with orthogonal polynomial deformations (like Zernike polynomials)1. This formulation helps provide insight and control over the manufacturability of the surfaces. Other attributes help designers improve optical performance and lower manufacturing costs.
We have developed a new 2D-Q freeform surface for Synopsys' CODE V® optical design software, based on Forbes' formulation. The surface is available for you to download from the Synopsys Optical Solutions Group Customer Support Portal. The surface has a best-fit conic base shape and a series of Q-freeform, or 2D-Q, polynomials. X and Y offset terms allow designers to shift the center of the polynomial departure away from the vertex of the base surface.