The slicer.dll acts like the commonly used "standard surface", thus optimization and analysis features of Zemax apply as well. The slicer.dll is capable to consider all operands defined in the Merit Function making optical optimizations faster by a factor 2 to 5 for the same design using Multi-Configuration Editor. Analysis and tolerancing can be performed with the same results as the multiple-configuration approach, but some analyses are much easier:  in particular those which need to consider all slices simultaneously, such as the cross-talk due to the size of the Point Spread Function (PSF).

An optical layout composed by a simulated telescope, a slicer and a pupil mirror arrays (both modelled by the slicer.dll) was designed as an example of use (Fig.5). The same optical layout using the classical Multi-Configuration Editor was designed as well. Both files are included in the zip archive.

Figure 5 – Basic optical layout of an IFU (3 slices only). The slicer mirror array and the row of pupil mirrors are modelled by the slicer.dll.

The wavelength is chosen to widen the PSF at the slicer mirror array in order to emphasize cross-talk due the diffraction in the zmx file using the slicer.dll. We used the Physical Optical Propagation (POP) tool of Zemax. The simulated telescope (paraxial lens) forms an image of a point source located to infinity onto the slicer mirrors array (Fig.6a). This image is optically divided into three small images that are re-formed by the pupil mirrors along a slit (Fig.6c). Fig.6b also shows the image of the telescope pupil formed by the slicer onto the row of pupil mirrors. Note that both results (Fig.6b and 6c) suggest some cross-talk analysis of the system.

Figure 6 - Cross-talk analysis (diffraction). The two-dimensional point spread function (PSF) formed onto the slicer mirror array (a) is optically divided into three small images that are re-imaged along a slit (c). The slicer mirror array has some power in order to re-image the telescope stop on the row of pupil mirrors (b).