Described are systems and techniques for characterizing optical fibers. Disclosed systems and techniques employ optical metrology, functional metrology, or both to characterize microstructured optical fibers and determine fiber characteristics, errors, and quality control metrics. The characteristics, errors, and quality control metrics are useful for improving the manufacturing of optical fibers.

The invention relates to a diffractive optical element with a spatial variation in the refractive index, wherein a sequence of adjacent sections, which form a diffractive structure, is formed by the spatial variation in the refractive index, within which sections the refractive index varies in each case. Over a spectral range extending over at least 300 nm, the diffractive structure has a diffraction efficiency of at least 0.95, averaged over the entire spectral range. The value of the diffraction efficiency of at least 0.95, averaged over the entire spectral range, is realized by a single single-layer diffractive structure with an optimized combination of at least two refractive indices and at least two Abbe numbers within each section of the sequence of adjacent sections. The refractive index variation can be achieved by means of doping, material mixing, or structuring into sub-wavelength ranges.

A lens clamping device (1), relating to the field of optical communication devices, comprises: a base (2); a sliding mechanism (3) slidably connected with the base (2) and movable relative to the base along a first direction; a transmission mechanism (4) connected with the sliding mechanism and having a first (41) and a second clamping member (42) capable of relatively away from and close to each other along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a suction nozzle (5) fixedly connected to one end of the sliding mechanism along the first direction and used for sucking a lens; wherein the suction nozzle is between the first and second clamping member which are relatively close to each other to limit the displacement of the lens in the second direction. The lens clamping device improves the reliability of picking up the lens by means of limit in two directions.

A method for printing a three-dimensional optical component (2) with an inkjet printer (1), wherein the three-dimensional component (2) is built up from layers of printing ink through a targeted placement of droplets (6) of printing ink at least partially side by side and one above the other in successive printing steps, wherein at least one printing step is followed by: a first scanning step during which surface properties of the two dimensional surface defined by the last printed layer are determined through a one dimensional measurement along a first direction by a measurement means (7), a rotation step during which the structure built up in the preceding steps is rotated with respect to the measurement means by a defined rotation angle and a second scanning step during which surface properties of the two-dimensional surface are determined through a one-dimensional measurement along a second direction by the measurement means.

Systems and methods for lens creations are disclosed. The method includes initiating light transmission from a light source through a diffuser into a container holding resin and a substrate. The light transmission is performed according to an irradiation pattern wherein each point in the resin is illuminated by at least 10% of the diffuser. This causes a lens to be formed. To achieve this illumination, at least 15% of the diffuser receives light from the light source. Further, a diameter of the diffuser is greater than or equal to a diameter of the substrate. The system performing the methods includes a polymerization apparatus and may include a resin conditioning and reservoir apparatus, a metrology unit, a resin drainage apparatus and an optional postcuring apparatus.

A lens assembly is separated into a first lens module including at least one lens element and a second lens module including at least one other lens element during alignment of its lens elements. Coarse alignment is conducted by aligning an optical axis of at least one lens element within the first lens module with an optical axis of at least one lens element within the second lens module. For conducting fine alignment, an image sensor views a test chart with while the first and second lens modules are positioned between the test chart and the image sensor. Image quality indices are obtained from the image sensor of the test chart at different relative alignments between the first and second lens modules, before the first lens module is fixed to the second lens module at a relative alignment therebetween where the image quality indices are optimized.

In a method for checking the centration of at least one spectacle lens, the spectacle lens is arranged in a field of capture of an image capturer; at least one image of the spectacle lens is captured by means of the image capturer; and positions of functional engravings of the spectacle lens in the captured image are determined. Furthermore, at least one lens contour of the at least one spectacle lens in the captured image is determined and the centration of the spectacle lens is checked taking into account the determined positions of the functional engravings, the determined lens contour and a known, wearer-dependent target geometry of the centration.

A method for printing a three-dimensional structure by depositing droplets of printing ink at least partially side by side and one above the other, including steps of: depositing droplets of printing ink in a first printing step in order to build up an intermediate first pre-structure, depositing droplets of printing ink in a second printing step in order to build up an intermediate second pre-structure on at least one side of the first pre-structure, rotating the first pre-structure and arranging the first pre-structure on a support structure in a rearrangement step between the first and the second printing step, where the support structure includes a carrier substructure and a deformation-control substructure, and where the deformation-control substructure comprises a pressure chamber. The present teachings further relate to a corresponding duplex printed three-dimensional structure and a duplex printer.

In a method for the manufacture of a transmissive optical system from a blank, material ablation is achieved on the blank with an ablative laser, and the pulse duration of the ablative laser is less than 1 ns, and preferably lies between 3 fs and 100 fs, or between 100 fs and 10 ps.

Systems and methods for lens creations are disclosed. The method includes initiating light transmission from a light source through a diffuser into a container holding resin and a substrate. The light transmission is performed according to an irradiation pattern wherein each point in the resin is illuminated by at least 10% of the diffuser. This causes a lens to be formed. To achieve this illumination, at least 15% of the diffuser receives light from the light source. Further, a diameter of the diffuser is greater than or equal to a diameter of the substrate. The system performing the methods includes a polymerization apparatus and may include a resin conditioning and reservoir apparatus, a metrology unit, a resin drainage apparatus and an optional postcuring apparatus.