Freeform and precise irradiance tailoring in arbitrarily oriented planes

Abstract

Freeform and precise irradiance tailoring in arbitrarily oriented planes is an ultimate goal of nonimaging optics and has not been well addressed. In this paper, we develop a general formulation for arbitrary and precise irradiance tailoring in three-dimensional (3D) space using freeform lenses. This method breaks any symmetric constraints imposed on the geometrical arrangement of conventional beam shaping systems, yielding high-performance beam shaping systems with new functions and flexible geometrical arrangements in 3D space. This method paves a way for the broad application of freeform optics. The robustness and effectiveness of the method is demonstrated by two interesting but challenging designs.