Optiktechnik

Optiktechnik, or optical engineering, is the branch of engineering and applied physics that focuses on the design, development, and production of optical systems and components. It encompasses geometrical optics, physical optics, and photonics, and covers both passive elements such as lenses, windows, and coatings and active assemblies such as laser systems and imaging sensors.

Practitioners use optical design software and ray-tracing methods to optimize performance, tolerances, and manufacturability. Fabrication combines precision grinding, polishing, and molding for lenses, along with coating techniques such as physical vapor deposition and sputtering to create anti-reflective or high-reflectivity stacks. Testing includes interferometric wavefront analysis, spectrometry, radiometry, and measurement of imaging performance metrics like the modulation transfer function.

Applications span imaging and photography, ophthalmic optics, microscopy, medical and industrial instrumentation, automotive and aerospace sensing, fiber-optic communication, and laser systems. Emerging areas include freeform and aspheric optics, computational optics, metasurfaces, and integrated photonics for compact, high-performance devices and augmented reality.

Historically, Optiktechnik has roots in early lens craftsmanship and the 19th-century work on achromatic optics, evolving into an interdisciplinary field within mechanical, electrical, and physical engineering. Education typically occurs in physics, optical engineering, or electrical engineering programs, supported by industry laboratories and suppliers of lenses, coatings, and optical components. Standards and metrology guide design tolerances, safety, and quality assurance, ensuring consistency across production and testing processes.