Abstract

A method for computing the optical properties of contoured layered media is presented. The wave equation is solved in the layers by invoking the Rayleigh hypothesis, and the solution is expressed as a scattering matrix that relates the Fourier components of the incoming fields to those of the outgoing fields. Images of layered structures produced by a given optical system can then be calculated by combining the scattering matrix representing the object with matrices that represent the illumination and projection optics and that include the effects of apertures and aberrations. The application of this method to partially coherent imaging is described.

© 1988 Optical Society of America

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