Course Objectives and Assumptions:

1. Experience with Zemax is suggested and experience with NSC Zemax is recommended but not necessary. Our course Optics of Digital Projectors is an excellent prerequisite course to learn all the of details of the technology of digital projector light engines. Day one of this course is fully dedicated to bringing the student up to speed on the necessary skills in NSC Zemax in order to complete the DMD and LCOS light engine design and analysis tasks.
2. Give attendees an applied lesson is designing and analyzing one preplanned DMD® based digital projector in Zemax.
3. Give attendees an applied lesson is designing and analyzing one preplanned LCoS based digital projector in Zemax.
4. This course will enable students to jump up the steep projector design and analysis learning curve. Receive applied system design and analysis experience with non-sequential Zemax. After this course the student will be able to return to work and show their capability in designing or analyzing DMD and LCOS based digital projector light engines, complete from the light source to the projection screen.
5. Uses real life practical examples of measured light source ray distribution file creation. The student will use the ray distribution file to model, and perform illumination system design and analysis of a projector light engine.
6. The student will learn how to design and use the MEMS spatial light modulator modeling and analysis tools in Zemax.
7. The course also teaches students how to use some of the powerful analysis features of Zemax non-sequential modeling to perform important analysis tasks. These tools will be invaluable for performing design tradeoffs in digital projector light engine design, and other illumination systems.
8. Students will receive a bound course notebook with slides from the material presented, along with the Zemax files from the designs performed in class.

Book this together with the Optics of Digital Projectors course and get a £300 discount!

Applied Digital Projector Design with Zemax

Syllabus Day One

We will follow OSCI’s Optical Instrument Design/Modeling with NSC Zemax to learn the fundamentals necessary to be successful with the incredible power in NSC Zemax to design, model, and analyze optical instruments. We consider digital projector light engines a subset of optical instruments.

1. Source imaging goniometers to measure and characterize light sources.
2. Measurement examples of optical sources with source imaging goniometers.
   
3. Creating ray distribution files using ProSource software.
   
4. Surface and volume based light source emitters
5. Using ray distribution files from measured sources in NSC Zemax
   Light collection, condenser lenses and first order layout.
6. Illumination plane analysis
7. Light collection and imaging
8. Image plane analysis
9. We will also cover coatings, polarization, poly objects, MEMS objects, and Detectors in NSC Zemax.
   

Syllabus Day Two

1. Learn to use ProSource® and create ray distribution file (.dat) of Hg lamp with reflector
2. Develop techniques to verify ray file is performing as expected
3. Discuss methods and issues of home built arc model of a volume emitter
4. Perform design of UV/IR filter substrate
5. Perform design of sequential RGBW filter wheel
6. Learn how to design hollow or solid integrating rods
7. Perform integrating rod analysis - length vs. uniformity and transmission
8. Develop a first order layout of illumination system magnification and conjugate plane orientations
9. Complete the design of a condenser lens and analyze performance
10. Complete the design of a field lens and analyze performance
11. Learn the critical issues in TIR prism design.
12. Perform the design of a TIR prism front half and back half and analyze performance
13. Perform illumination system analysis at the modulator plane
14. Learn how to use the DMD MEMS modulator mirrors for testing illumination system
15. Develop projection lens design specifications and opto-mechanical parameters
16. Perform illumination system ray trace and analysis
17. Review Day Two Accomplishments

Illumination System Sample That Students Will Create

Syllabus Day Three

1. Discuss day two objectives and short review and questions from day two
2. Perform more illumination system ray trace and analysis performance
3. Learn to create array of DMD MEMS mirrors with proper tilt angles, size and spacing
4. Perform analysis with tilts for on and off states
5. Perform illumination system ray trace and analysis
6. Insert a pre-designed projection lens assembly
7. Show lens layout in sequential Zemax and perform imaging performance analysis
8. Learn how to convert the projection lens into non-sequential Zemax format
9. Develop techniques to accurately place and orient the projection lens assembly into existing illumination system
10. Perform illumination system analysis on projection screen illumination plane
11. Perform imaging analysis on projection screen from DMD to screen
12. Show how to create different analysis screens for example: contrast tests, test rectangles, test crosses, etc
13. Learn techniques of system testing ray traces such as contrast and uniformity
14. Perform a few system perturbations
15. Review Day Two, Part Two Accomplishments

TIR Illumination System and Projection Lens Assembly

 

Fly's Eye Integrator

Syllabus Day Four

Day Four is focused on using the design, analysis, and modeling techniques of the previous three days and leveraging this knowledge to design and model an LCoS digital projector light engine.

1. Develop a model of an arc source with a parabolic reflector and investigate optical properties of source output.
2. Design and model the illumination system which uses fly's eye integrators to provide a uniform illumination pattern at the spatial light modulator.
3. Model the polarization conversion system element and integrating rod.
4. Develop the Dichroic beam splitters and front surface mirrors to split and direct the illumination to the correct color spatial light modulator.
5. Learn how to model the wire grid polarizers.
6. Develop and model the "X Cube" Dichroic beam combiner prism for each of the three color channels.
7. Design and model the projection lens assembly to work in conjunction with the LCoS panels and the X cube beam combiner prism.
8. Perform some system modeling and analysis.
9. Look at a few system perturbations.
10. Review day four objectives and discuss any further student questions.

LCoS Light Engine.

Instructor

Mr. Michael Pate is President of Optical Short Course International