Gradient Refractive INdex (GRIN) of chalcogenide glasses and glassceramics transparent in the infrared

Abstract

Gradient Refractive INdex (GRIN) lenses are optics whose refractive index varies spatially. One advantage of such lenses is the possibility to manufacture lenses with simple shapes, such as flat lenses where the optical power is given by the continuous change of refractive index. In addition, this type of optics gives more freedom for the optical design. For example, the use of a specific index profile allows to correct efficiently thermal and chromatic aberrations with a significantly reduced number of lenses compared to a conventional system .