Vision Rays in Optical Metrology Applications

Freeform optics offer improved optical systems, but their complex shapes challenge traditional measurement methods. Cost-effective solutions are needed, especially for applications where expensive methods are impractical. Non-interferometric methods are a good alternative, but their accuracy can be limited. This dissertation aims to develop an accessible calibration method that improves the accuracy of these methods and enables the measurement of both refractive and reflective elements. The results are presented in three articles. The first article focuses on the calibration method and a new metrology approach that directly measures ray deflections, simplifying the process. The second article analyzes a new technique for converting wavefront data to height information and proposes a calibration process to improve accuracy. The third article tackles the issue of parasitic reflections by using a data-driven approach. This work significantly advances ray trace-based optical metrology and has numerous applications, particularly in the measurement and alignment of freeform optics.