Iterative aberration compensation of femtosecond 3D-printed microlenses using wavefront measurements
Abstract
Wavefront compensation provides a highly effective approach for improving the performance of optical elements. In this work, an iterative wavefront-based compensation method for 3D-printed microlenses with diameters up to 630 µm is demonstrated using a phase camera to measure wavefront distortions. The measured wavefront deviations are incorporated into subsequent lens designs, enabling systematic correction of fabrication-induced errors. Through this approach, diffraction-limited performance is achieved for microlenses fabricated on both planar substrates and single-mode fibers, with Strehl ratios up to 0.97 and RMS wavefront errors as low as λ /38 at 638 nm . To evaluate the convergence behavior of the proposed approach, additional microlenses are designed with deliberately introduced spherical aberrations of 0.4 λ and 0.8 λ . For both cases, the presented iterative algorithms achieve Strehl ratios exceeding 0.9 within only two iterations. The wavefront compensation method provides a fast and convenient procedure to optimize the fabrication of 3D-printed optics, particularly for larger optical elements with dimensions greater than 500 µm .
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BibTeX
@article{zhao2026iterative,
title = {{Iterative aberration compensation of femtosecond 3D-printed microlenses using wavefront measurements}},
author = {Yanqiu Zhao and Harald Giessen},
journal = {Optics Express},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1364/oe.614192},
url = {https://opg.optica.org/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-34-21-40597},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Iterative aberration compensation of femtosecond 3D-printed microlenses using wavefront measurements
AU - Yanqiu Zhao
AU - Harald Giessen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Optics Express
DO - 10.1364/oe.614192
UR - https://opg.optica.org/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-34-21-40597
AB - Wavefront compensation provides a highly effective approach for improving the performance of optical elements. In this work, an iterative wavefront-based compensation method for 3D-printed microlenses with diameters up to 630 µm is demonstrated using a phase camera to measure wavefront distortions. The measured wavefront deviations are incorporated into subsequent lens designs, enabling systematic correction of fabrication-induced errors. Through this approach, diffraction-limited performance is achieved for microlenses fabricated on both planar substrates and single-mode fibers, with Strehl ratios up to 0.97 and RMS wavefront errors as low as λ /38 at 638 nm . To evaluate the convergence behavior of the proposed approach, additional microlenses are designed with deliberately introduced spherical aberrations of 0.4 λ and 0.8 λ . For both cases, the presented iterative algorithms achieve Strehl ratios exceeding 0.9 within only two iterations. The wavefront compensation method provides a fast and convenient procedure to optimize the fabrication of 3D-printed optics, particularly for larger optical elements with dimensions greater than 500 µm .
SN - 1094-4087
ER -