Analytic formulas of the aspheric terms for convex-plano and

plano-convex aspheric lenses.

no-Alejoa ,
Maximino Avenda
a
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico,
Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnologico.

ABSTRACT
We provide analytic formulas for fews aspheric terms either plano-convex or convex-plano aspheric lenses. These
formulas are obtained considering an expansion in Taylors series from exact caustic equation produced by
aspheric lenses. A comparison between our method and numerical methods of design are presented, showing a
well agreement in order to reduce the spherical aberration.

1. INTRODUCTION
It is well known that aspheric lens can help us to simplify optical system design by minimizing the number of
elements required, additionally these can yields sharper images than conventional lenses. Aspherical elements are
particularly useful for correcting distortion in wide-angle lenses currently. In summary aspheric optical surfaces
deliver higher performing, more compact, and lighter systems in a wide range of applications. Unfortunately they
do not correct the chromatic aberration, in other words, they are designed to work for a predefined wavelenght.
In this manuscript we consider the aspheric equation given according to reference,1 although recently there have
been defined new formulas to represent this kind of surface23 .

The caustic can be defined as the locus of the principal centers of curvature of a wavefront4 , also, the caustic can
be defined as the envelope for either refracted or reflected rays crossing an optical system. Although the caustics
and wavefronts either by reflection or refraction are part of a well known subject59 , the contribution in this
work it is to provide simple formulas for few aspheric terms either plano-convex or convex-plano aspheric lenses
in order to reduce the spherical aberration. These formulas are obtained considering an expansion in Taylors
series from exact caustic equation produced by aspheric lenses.10

2. PLANO-CONVEX ASPHERIC LENSES

Throughout this manuscript we define that the Z axis is parallel to the optical axis, we assume that the Y Z-
plane is the plane of incidence, which is a cross section of a plano-convex aspheric lens with an arbitrary number
of aspheric coefficients, whose paraxial radius is R, and the origin of the system O is placed at the vertex of
the plano-convex lens. We assume that a bundle of rays are incident on left side of the lens parallel to the
optical axis, crossing the plane face of the lens without being deflected, and they are propagated to the aspheric
surface. Let H be the entrance aperture, t is the thickness of the lens, ni the index of refraction of the lens for
a predefined wavelength which is immersed in a medium with index of refraction na , (ni > na ), and where we
have assumed that Sh represents the aspheric equation in a meridional plane which is given by
N
ch2 X
Sh = p + A2i h2i , (1)
1+ 1 (k + 1)c2 h2 i=2

Further author information: Send correspondence to E-mail: maximino.avendano@ccadet.unam.mx, Telephone:

5556228620, Address: Circuito Interior S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Apdo. Postal 70-186, C. P. 04510, D. F., Mex.

Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering XIV, edited by R. Barry Johnson,
Virendra N. Mahajan, Simon Thibault, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 8841, 88410E 2013 SPIE
CCC code: 0277-786X/13/$18 doi: 10.1117/12.2026366

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 where c = 1/R is the paraxial curvature, k is the conic constant, A4 , A6 , A8 , . . . A2N , are the aspheric order
terms with N arbitrary and h represents the height for an arbitrary incident ray. According to reference10 the
caustic surface (zpc , ypc ) for plano-convex aspheric lenses was written as
h i q 
2
n2a + (n2a n2i )S 0 h n2a + ni n2a + (n2a n2i )S 0 2h
zpc = t + Sh + ,
n2a (n2a n2i )Sh00
(2)
h i
2
n2a + (n2a n2i )S 0 h Sh0
ypc = h ,
n2a Sh00

where Sh0 and Sh00 are the first and second derivative with respect to h respectively from Eq.(1). It is important
to say that Eq.(2) gives the coordinates of the locus of points that parametrically represents the envelope of the
family of refracted rays produced by an aspheric lens in a meridional plane as a function of h when the point
source is placed at infinity. Alternatively, we can write Eq.(2) by expanding for zpc and ypc in Taylors series as
a function of h, where we have assumed that |h| < |R| and we get

X
X
zpc (h) = f gn h2n , ypc (h) = Gn h2n+1 , (3)
n=1 n=1

where f is a singular point defined as f = t + na /(c[na ni ]), and it is related to the effective focal length
(EF L) in the following way: EF L = f t = na /[c{na ni }], according to our frame of reference, where
we have considered in this configuration that c < 0, and therefore f > 0, as is shown in Fig(1). For the ray
tracing we have considered a lens with F/# = 1.25, by using the following parameters in both plano-convex and
convex-plano lens configurations: na = 1, ni = 1.7, R = 17.5mm, diameter D = 20mm, t = 7.5mm, and a conic
constant k = 0.905, with an entrance aperture H = D/2, in Fig.(1) we have considered a conic lens assuming
that k 6= 0 and A2N = 0. Additionally we can see from Eq.(3) that zpc is even and ypc is an odd function of

Figure 1. Process of refraction produced by a plano-convex aspheric lens, and its associated parameters.

h, furthermore gn and Gn are directly proportional gn = n Gn , where n are constants, in such a way that is

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 enough to consider just one expansion, thus the first coefficients for Gn are represented by
n2
 
8A4
G1 = + c2 k + 2i ,
c na
 
24A6 24A4 c3 (1 + k) + 4A4
G2 = ,
c c2
 
48A8 12c3 c3 (1 + k)A4 + 4A24 cA6 n2i (4)
G3 = + +
c c3 n2a
    

3 A4 c6 (1 + k)(3 + 7k) + 16A4 c3 (8 + 9k) + 24A4 2c c3 (9 + 11k) + 88A4 A6 n2a
,
c3 n2a
..
.
we can see clearly that G1 depends on G1 [A4 , c, k, na , ni ], G2 is a function of G2 [A6 , A4 ], G3 is a function
of G3 [A8 , A6 , A4 ], and so on. Alternatively, we can also see that Gn includes all the aspheric terms up to
Gn [A2(n+1) , A2n , . . . , A4 ] for n > 1. If we demand that G1 = G2 = G3 = G4 = Gn = 0, then from Eq.(3) the
amount of aspherical aberration is reduced considerably up to zpc (h) = f and ypc (h) = 0, obtaining a perfect lens
which is independent of the height h. By solving from Eq.(4) for the aspheric terms as a function of [c, k, na , ni ]
and reducing further we get

Figure 2. Process of refraction produced by a corrected plano-convex aspheric lens.

 
c3 kn2a + n2i
A4 = ,
8n2a
  
c5 kn2a + n2i (2 + k)n2a n2i
A6 = ,
16n4a

(5)
 

5c7 kn2a + n2i 3 + 3k + k 2 n4a (3 + k)n2a n2i + n4i
A8 = ,
128n6a
  

7c9 kn2a + n2i (2 + k)n2a n2i 2 + 2k + k 2 n4a 2n2a n2i + n4i
A10 = ,
256n8a
..
.

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 we can see from Eq.(5) that if k = n2i /n2a , then A4 = A6 = A8 = = An = 0, and substituting into Eq.(1)
we have a conic surface, which coincides with a cartesian oval and it yields a perfect lens without spherical
aberration.7 In this configuration the aspheric terms are independent of its thickness of the lens. In Fig.(2) we
have substitute the values given above for na , ni , c and k obtaining the following aspheric terms which reduces
considerably the spherical aberration: A4 = 4.62974 105 , A6 = 1.3568 107 , A8 = 5.24728 1010 and
A10 = 2.26652 1012 . It is important to comment that these aspheric terms will form part of the polynomial
which provides the shape of the aspheric lens.

3. CONVEX-PLANO ASPHERIC LENSES

The formula for caustic surface produced by an aspheric lens, where were consider a bundle of rays propagating
parallel to the optical axis impinging on a convex-plano lens, according to reference10 was written as

M3/2 2 n2i + na n2i n2i n2a (t Sh ) Sh00




zcp = t + ,
n2a (n2i n2a )(n2i + na )3 Sh00
h
4 2
i (6)
M2 n2i + na + n2i n2a (t Sh ) Sh0 Sh00 Sh0



ycp = h ,
n2a (n2i + na )3 Sh00

the subscript cp means convex-plano and we defined M and by

 q 2 q

2 2
M = n2a na + n2i + (n2i n2a )Sh0 2 n2i n2a Sh0 , = n2i + (n2i n2a )Sh0 2 , (7)

where Sh0 and Sh00 are the first and second derivative with respect to h respectively from Eq.(1). It is worth to
comment that Eq.(6) gives the coordinates of the locus of points that parametrically represents the envelope of
all refracted rays produced by an aspheric lens in a meridional plane when the point source is placed at infinity,
and the rays are impinging on the convex surface, in other words, there are two refractions due to the lens. As
was explain above, we can write Eq.(6) by expanding for zcp and ycp in Taylors series as a function of h, where
also we have assumed that |h| < |R| and we get

X
X
2n
zcp (h) = F mn h , ycp (h) = Mn h2n+1 , (8)
n=1 n=1

where F is a singular point, and it is related to the Back Focal Length (BF L) through the following relationship
BF L = F t = na R/(ni na ) na t/ni = EF L na t/ni , and EF L has been defined above, in this configuration
c > 0, and therefore F > 0, as is shown in Fig(3). It is well known that in this configuration the lens produces
less spherical aberration than plano-convex configuration. Additionally we can see from Eq.(8) that zcp is even
and ycp is an odd function of h, furthermore mn and Mn are directly related as follows: mn = n Mn , where n
are constants, so we consider just one expansion, thus the first coefficients for Mn are represented by

8A4 c2 h 4
i
M1 = 2 3 ct (na ni ) (na + ni ) + n2i 2na n2i kn2a ni 2n3a n3i ,
c na ni

24A6
M2 = +
h  3  2 5 3 2 c 3
i
3 16A4 c (1 + k) + 4A4 na ni + c [na ni ] na ni c tna [na ni ] + 8tA4 c2 (1 (1 + k)ct) n2i
4 2

,
2c2 n2a n5i
..
.
(9)
we can see clearly that M1 depends on M1 [A4 , c, k, na , ni , t], M2 is a function of M2 [A6 , A4 ], M3 is a function
of M3 [A8 , A6 , A4 ], and so on. If we demand that M1 = M2 = = Mn = 0, then from Eq.(8) the amount

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 Figure 3. Process of refraction produced by a plano-convex aspheric lens, and its associated parameters.

of aspherical aberration is vanishing considerably up to zcp = F and ycp = 0, obtaining a perfect lens which is
independent of the height h. By solving from Eq.(9) for the aspheric terms as a function of [c, k, na , ni , t] and
reducing further we get
 3 
c
ct(ni na )4 (ni + na ) + n2i 2na n2i kn2a ni 2n3a n3i ,


A4 = 2 3
8na ni

c5
 
 2 2

A6 = 4 6 2c t (na + ni )2 (ni na )8 + ni ct(na ni )5 n4a 5n3a ni 9n2a n2i + 3n4i +
16na ni
 
n3i (k(k + 2) + 10)n4a n3i + n7a 7n6a ni + 6n5a n2i 11n3a n4i n2a n5i + 4na n6i n7i ,

c7
 h
12 3 9 2
24c3 t3 (na ni ) (na + ni ) + 24ni c2 t2 (na ni ) (na + ni ) n3a 4n2a ni 2na n2i + 2n3i

A8 = 6 9
128na ni
6  
+n2i ct (na ni ) (na + ni ) 5n6a 56n5a ni + 116n4a n2i + 154n3a n3i 106n2a n4i 58na n5i + 29n6i +

n4i 4n11 10 9 2 8 3 7 4 6 5 5 6
a 44na ni + 158na ni 130na ni 236na ni + (406 + 5k(3 + k(3 + k)))na ni 16na ni +

263n4a n7i + 120n3a n8i + 31n2a n9i 30na n10 11
i + 5ni ,

..
.
(10)

By substituting the values given above for na , ni , c, k and t into Eq.(10) we provide the aspheric terms which also
reduces considerably the spherical aberration: A4 = 6.88232 106 , A6 = 7.44404 1010 , A8 = 4.56999
1012 , A10 = 5.51346 1015 andA12 = 3.83468 1019 , where for simplicity we have write only three
aspheric terms as an analytic form, and we are including additional coefficients only for illustrative purposes. In
reference11 there are additional aspheric terms expressed exclusively as a function of the na , ni , c, k and t.

4. EXAMPLES
Traditionally it is very common to design aspheric lenses in the configuration convex-plano, because as we
mentioned above the lens produces less spherical aberration than the plano-convex configuration. In this section

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 Figure 4. Process of refraction produced by a corrected convex-plano aspheric lens.

we provide as an example the ITEM AL50100-A from Thorlabs with the follows parameters of the aspheric lens:
R = 51.12mm, t = 10mm, k = 0.575, ni = 1.5111 for a wavelength of design = 780nm, immerse in air
na = 1. By substituting this values into Eq.(10) we get the aspheric terms as is shown in Table(1), where we
can compare the aspheric coefficients between Thorlabs and the Analytic formulas showing a well agreement as
we expected.

Table 1. Aspheric Coefficients

Aspheric Terms A4 A6 A8 A10

Thorlabs 4.8366264 1011 8.5756915 1012 2.0138223 1015 4.5977971 1019
Analytic 4.4847565 1011 8.5481621 1012 2.0831462 1015 3.5636330 1019

5. CONCLUSIONS
We have obtained simple formulas for the aspheric terms for either positive convex-plano or plano-convex as-
pherical lens when a point source of light is located at infinity, showing that them are different as we expected.
We believe that the method for obtaining the aspheric terms reported here is straightforward, where we have
proved that it reduces spherical aberrations considerably. Further work will be done in order to provide analytic
formulas including additional aspheric coefficients, to reduce the spherical aberration.

Acknowledgments
This work has been partially supported by a PAPIIT-UNAM project under number # IN 112612.

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