Optical and Quantum Electronics, vol.56, no.6, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
Diffractive optical elements (DOEs) provide significant advantages over refractive optical elements due to their flexible design capabilities, leading to increasing usage in electro-optical systems. When the transmission function of diffractive lenses can be known analytically, determining the point spread function (PSF) becomes straightforward. However, in cases where analytical transmission equations cannot be derived, a general approach is necessary. In this study, we propose a new method that can be applied to any type of DOE to determine the numerical PSF. The simulation results are then compared to analytical and numerical methods. The findings of this research make significant contributions to the advancement of diffractive lenses by addressing the challenge of designing and analyzing these diffractive lenses. By offering a general approach for determining the PSF, the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the elements can also be determined by the proposed approach, even when the specific transmission function is difficult to ascertain. This study provides important contributions to the development of DOEs.