Dynamic simulation and control of optical systems

Abstract

This thesis deals with the simulation-based investigation and control of optical systems that are mechanically influenced. Here, the focus is on the dynamic-optical modeling of vibration-sensitive mirror systems, which are utilized, e.g., in large astronomy telescopes or high-precision lithography optics. The large-area primary mirrors of telescopes typically consist of many individual hexagonal mirror segments, which are positioned with precise sensors and actuators. Furthermore, an adaptive optical unit usually compensates for the optical aberrations due to atmospheric disturbances. In practice, these aberrations are detected, and corrected, within a few seconds using deformable mirrors. However, to further improve the performance of these optical systems, dynamical disturbances in the mechanics, i.e., small movements and deformations of the optical surfaces, must also be taken into account. Therefore, multidisciplinary simulation methods are developed and presented. Based on this, the dynamical-optical system behavior is modeled using model-order-reduced, flexible multibody systems. Hence, the dynamical analysis of the mechanical-optical system can be performed at low computation costs. Thanks to the optical analysis in the time domain and using Fourier-optical concepts, one can also simulate exposure processes. To actively compensate for aberrations due to mechanical vibrations, model-based control strategies are also designed. They are not only demonstrated by means of simulation examples, but also illustrated through a laboratory experiment. The latter is realized with a low-cost test setup for student training using Arduino microcontrollers, position and force sensors, as well as high-speed cameras.