Zemax

Zemax is a widely-used optical design program sold by Zemax Development Corporation of Bellevue, Washington (formerly Focus Software).cite journal| title=Latest Zemax creates and evaluates designs |first=John |last=Tesar |journal=Laser Focus World |volume=33 |issue=3 |date=March, 1997 |url=http://www.laserfocusworld.com/display_article/30126/12/none/none/Dept/Latest-ZEMAX-creates-and-evaluates-designs |accessdate=2008-05-30] [cite book |title=Introduction to Lens Design: With Practical Zemax Examples |first=Joseph M. |last=Geary |publisher=Willmann-Bell |year=2002 |isbn=0943396751] [cite book |title=Modern Optical Engineering |edition=4th Ed. |first=Warren J. |last=Smith |publisher=McGraw-Hill |year=2007 |pages=p. 436 |isbn=0071476873] [cite book |title=Astronomical Optics |edition=2nd ed. |first=Daniel J. |last=Schroeder |publisher=Academic Press |year=1999 |isbn=0126298106] [cite book |title=Optical System Design |edition=2nd ed. |first=Robert F. |last=Fischer |publisher=McGraw-Hill |year=2008 |pages=p. 603|isbn=0071472487 |quote=...the Zemax software package, one of the industry's standards.] It is used for the design and analysis of optical systems. Zemax can perform standard sequential ray tracing through optical elements, non-sequential ray tracing for analysis of stray light, and physical optics beam propagation.

Zemax is used for the design of optical systems such as camera lenses and analysis of illumination systems. It can model the propagation of rays through optical elements such as lenses (including aspheres and gradient index lenses), mirrors, and diffractive optical elements. [cite book |title=Lens Design |edition=4th ed. |first=Milton |last=Laikin |publisher=CRC |year=2006 |isbn=0849382785] Zemax can model the effect of optical coatings on the surfaces of components, and can produce standard analysis diagrams such as spot diagrams and ray-fan plots. It includes an extensive library of stock lenses from a variety of manufacturers. [Fischer (2008), p. 590.] The physical optics propagation feature can be used for problems where diffraction is important, including the propagation of laser beams, holography, and the coupling of light into single-mode optical fibers. Zemax has a powerful suite of optimization tools that can be used to optimize a lens design by automatically adjusting parameters to maximize performance and reduce aberrations. It also has an extensive tolerancing capability.

Zemax was originally written by Ken Moore, starting in 1988. [cite web |url=http://www.zemax.com/kb/articles/98/1/Why-is-it-called-ZEMAX/Page1.html |title=Why is it called ZEMAX? |first=Ken |last=Moore |date=2006-04-21 |work=ZEMAX Users' Knowledge Base |accessdate=2008-05-30] The first version was called Max, named after his dog. When he began selling the program commercially, he was forced to rename it due to a trademark conflict. He chose Zemax as an interim name until he could "come up with a 'good name'," and it stuck.

ee also

*ASAP (software)
*CODE V
*Optics Software for Layout and Optimization (OSLO)
*Optical engineering

References

External links

* [http://www.zemax.com Official website]