Modulation Transfer
Function in Optical and
Electro-Optical Systems
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Modulation Transfer
Function in Optical and
Electro-Optical Systems
Glenn D. Boreman
Tutorial Texts in Optical Engineering
Volume TT52
Bellingham, Washington USA
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Boreman, Glenn D.
Modulation transfer function in optical and electro-optical systems / Glenn D. Boreman.
p. cm. — (Tutorial texts in optical engineering ; v. TT 52)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8194-4143-0
1. Optics. 2. Electrooptical devices. 3. Modulation theory. I. Title. II. Series.
2001031158
CIP
TA1520 .B67 2001
621.36–dc21
Published by
SPIE—The International Society for Optical Engineering
P.O. Box 10
Bellingham, Washington 98227-0010 USA
Phone: 360/676-3290
Fax: 360/647-1445
Email: spie@spie.org
WWW: www.spie.org
Copyright © 2001 The Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed
in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America.
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Introduction to the Series
The Tutorial Texts series was initiated in 1989 as a way to make the material presented in
SPIE short courses available to those who couldn’t attend and to provide a reference
book for those who could. Typically, short course notes are developed with the thought
in mind that supporting material will be presented verbally to complement the notes, which
are generally written in summary form, highlight key technical topics, and are not intended
as stand-alone documents. Additionally, the figures, tables, and other graphically
formatted information included with the notes require further explanation given in the
instructor’s lecture. As stand-alone documents, short course notes do not generally serve
the student or reader well.
Many of the Tutorial Texts have thus started as short course notes subsequently
expanded into books. The goal of the series is to provide readers with books that cover
focused technical interest areas in a tutorial fashion. What separates the books in this
series from other technical monographs and textbooks is the way in which the material is
presented. Keeping in mind the tutorial nature of the series, many of the topics presented
in these texts are followed by detailed examples that further explain the concepts
presented. Many pictures and illustrations are included with each text, and where
appropriate tabular reference data are also included.
To date, the texts published in this series have encompassed a wide range of topics, from
geometrical optics to optical detectors to image processing. Each proposal is evaluated to
determine the relevance of the proposed topic. This initial reviewing process has been
very helpful to authors in identifying, early in the writing process, the need for additional
material or other changes in approach that serve to strengthen the text. Once a manuscript
is completed, it is peer reviewed to ensure that chapters communicate accurately the
essential ingredients of the processes and technologies under discussion.
During the past nine years, my predecessor, Donald C. O'Shea, has done an excellent job
in building the Tutorial Texts series, which now numbers nearly forty books. It has
expanded to include not only texts developed by short course instructors but also those
written by other topic experts. It is my goal to maintain the style and quality of books in
the series, and to further expand the topic areas to include emerging as well as mature
subjects in optics, photonics, and imaging.
Arthur R. Weeks, Jr.
Invivo Research Inc. and University of Central Florida
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE / vii
CHAPTER 1 MTF IN OPTICAL SYSTEMS / 1
Impulse response / 1
1.1
1.2
Spatial frequency / 4
1.3 Transfer function / 7
1.3.1 Modulation transfer function / 9
1.3.2 Phase transfer function / 12
1.4 MTF and resolution / 16
1.5 Diffraction MTF / 18
1.5.1 Calculation of diffraction MTF / 20
1.5.2 Diffraction MTF for obscured systems / 25
1.6 Geometrical MTF / 26
1.6.1 Effect of defocus on MTF / 27
1.6.2 Effect of other aberrations on MTF / 27
1.6.3 MTF and Strehl ratio / 28
References / 29
Further reading / 30
CHAPTER 2 MTF IN ELECTRO-OPTICAL SYSTEMS / 31
2.1 Detector footprint MTF / 31
2.2
Sampling / 35
2.2.1 Aliasing / 35
2.2.2 Sampling MTF / 41
2.3 Crosstalk / 51
2.4 Electronic-network MTF / 53
2.5 Conclusion / 55
References / 56
Further reading / 57
CHAPTER 3 OTHER MTF CONTRIBUTIONS / 59
3.1 Motion MTF / 59
3.2 Vibration MTF / 60
3.3 Turbulence MTF / 62
3.4 Aerosol-scattering MTF / 65
References / 67
Further reading / 68
v
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vi
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 4 MTF MEASUREMENT METHODS / 69
Point-spread function (PSF) / 70
4.1
4.2 Line-spread function (LSF) / 71
4.3 Edge-spread function (ESF) / 73
4.4 Comparison of PSF, LSF, and ESF / 76
4.5 Noise targets / 76
4.5.1 Laser speckle MTF test / 77
4.5.2 Random-transparency MTF test / 78
4.6 Bar-target MTF measurement / 79
References / 84
CHAPTER 5 PRACTICAL MEASUREMENT ISSUES / 85
5.1 Cascade properties of MTF / 85
5.2 Quality of auxiliary optics / 89
5.3
5.4 Correcting for finite source size / 91
5.5 Correcting for the image-receiver MTF / 94
Source coherence / 90
5.6
5.7
5.5.1 Finite pixel width / 94
5.5.2 Finite sampling interval / 95
Summary of instrumental MTF issues / 96
Increasing SNR in PSF, LSF, and ESF tests / 96
5.7.1 Object- and image-plane equivalence / 96
5.7.2 Averaging in pixelated detector arrays / 99
5.7.3 Potential pitfalls / 100
5.8 MTF testing observations / 101
5.9 Use of computers in MTF measurements / 101
5.10 Representative instrument designs / 102
5.10.1 Example #1: visible ESF / 102
5.10.2 Example #2: infrared line response / 103
5.10.3 Example #3: visible square-wave response / 104
5.10.4 Example #4: bar-target response / 106
References / 106
Further reading / 107
INDEX / 109
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