A deformable mirror is provided that can include a mirror assembly having a reflective face sheet with a reflective surface on a front side of the reflective face sheet. The mirror assembly can also comprise one or more ferrous materials positioned within and making up or forming, in part, the mirror assembly. The deformable mirror can also include one or more electromagnets operable to generate a magnetic field that acts on the ferrous materials to deform the reflective face sheet.

A thermally actuated adaptive optic includes a base, a reflector, and a plurality of actuators coupled therebetween. The reflector has a light-receiving front surface, and a back surface facing the base. Each actuator includes a bracket rigidly bonded to the reflector at a perimeter of the reflector, and an inner rod and an outer rod. Each rod is rigidly connected between the bracket and the base, with the inner rod being closer to a center of the reflector. The length of each rod is temperature dependent. In another adaptive optic, the rods are instead bonded directly to the reflector. This adaptive optic may be modified to implement an integrally formed, thermally actuated support. The disclosed adaptive optics are suitable for use in laser systems, allow for significant cost savings over piezoelectric devices, provide a reflective area free of surface-figure perturbations caused by the actuator-interfaces, and are relatively simple to manufacture.

A light detection and ranging system can have a metasurface that continuously extends between a pair of electrical contacts. The metasurface may be separated from an underlying silicon substrate by an air gap with the silicon substate doped with a P-i-N configuration to create electrostatic force that alters a size of the air gap in response to a voltage bias between the pair of electrical contacts.

A deformable mirror can include a reservoir containing a ferrofluid. The deformable mirror can also include a reflective face sheet covering a front side of the reservoir such that a back side of the reflective face sheet is exposed to the ferrofluid. The reflective face sheet can have a reflective surface on a front side of the reflective face sheet opposite the back side. The reflective face sheet can have a non-uniform thickness between the front and back sides of the reflective face sheet to provide stiffness for the reflective face sheet. In addition, the deformable mirror can include one or more electromagnets operable to generate a magnetic field that acts on the ferrofluid to deform the reflective face sheet. A deformable mirror system can further include a control system operably coupled to the one or more electromagnets to control the magnetic field and thereby a deformation of the reflective face sheet.

A device and a method for manufacturing holographic optical elements. The device includes at least two partial light beams and one interference light beam, one deformable mirror in each case per partial light beam, a control unit, which is configured to actuate the deformable mirrors to adapt a wavefront of the partial light beam, and a holographic film. The deformable mirrors are situated so as to each reflect precisely one partial light beam and to direct the reflected partial light beam on the holographic film, and the interference light beam being directed on the holographic film to interfere with the reflected partial light beams so as to simultaneously generate at least two holographic optical elements.

An imaging apparatus including: an image sensor having a photo-sensitive surface; an optical device arranged on an optical path of light incidenting on the photo-sensitive surface, the optical device being electrically controllable to have a spatially variable focal length; and a processor configured to: generate and send a drive signal to the optical device to compensate for field curvature of optical device by adjusting focal lengths of different portions of the optical device to different extents, wherein a focal length of a first portion of the optical device is higher than a focal length of a second portion of the optical device surrounding the first portion; and control the image sensor to capture a distorted image of a real-world environment.

A laser apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a laser oscillator that outputs pulsed laser light, a deformable mirror including a deformer that deforms a reflective surface, a first processor that drives the deformer during the period for which the reflective surface reflects the pulsed laser light, a homogenizer that homogenizes the pulsed laser light reflected off the deformable mirror, and a spectrum measuring instrument that measures the spectrum of the pulsed laser light homogenized by the homogenizer.

An optical system comprises at least one mirror having a mirror body and a mirror surface, and at least one actuator device coupled to the mirror body and serving for deforming the mirror surface. The actuator device comprises at least one electrostrictive actuator element for generating a mechanical stress in the mirror body for deforming the mirror surface depending on an electrical drive voltage, and at least one electrostrictive sensor element for outputting a sensor signal depending on a deformation of the sensor element. The at least one sensor element is arranged directly adjacent to the actuator element and/or is arranged in such a way that it is configured at least partly for transferring the mechanical stress generated by the actuator element to the mirror body.

An optical assembly of a projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography comprises an optical element and an actuator for deforming the optical element. The actuator is subjected to a bias voltage by a controller that is present. A projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography comprises an optical assembly. A method for operating an actuator for deforming an optical element for semiconductor lithography comprises subjecting the actuator to a bias voltage by a controller.

A spiral phase plate, according to one embodiment, for generating a Laguerre Gaussian beam by reflecting an incident beam emitted from a light source, may comprise: a first quadrant area in which the step height increase rate per unit angle decreases progressively in one direction from the point with the lowest step height to the point with the highest step height; and a second quadrant area in which the step height increase rate per unit angle increases progressively in the one direction.