Closed-loop adaptive optics using a CMOS image quality metric sensor

摘要

When compared to a Shack-Hartmann sensor, a CMOS image sharpness sensor has the advantage of reduced complexity in a closed-loop adaptive optics system. It also has the potential to be implemented as a smart sensor using VLSI technology. In this paper, we present a novel adaptive optics testbed that uses a CMOS sharpness imager built in the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Electro-Optics Research Laboratory (EORL). The adaptive optics testbed, which includes a CMOS image quality metric sensor and a 37-channel deformable mirror, has the capability to rapidly compensate higher-order phase aberrations. An experimental performance comparison of the pinhole image sharpness feedback method and the CMOS imager is presented. The experimental data shows that the CMOS sharpness imager works well in a closed-loop adaptive optics system. Its overall performance is better than that of the pinhole method, and it has a fast response time.