Wave-optics and spatial frequency analyses of integral imaging three-dimensional display systems.

Wave optics is usually thought to be more rigorous than geometrical optics to analyze integral imaging (II) systems. However, most of the previous wave-optics investigations are directed to a certain subsystem or do not sufficiently consider the finite aperture of microlens arrays (MLAs). Therefore, a diffraction-limited model of the entire II system, which consists of pickup, image processing, and reconstruction subsystems, is proposed, and the effects of system parameters on spatial resolution are especially studied. With the help of paraxial scalar diffraction theory, the origin impulse response function of the entire II system is derived; the parameter matching condition with optimum resolution and the wave-optics principle are achieved. Besides, the modulation transfer function is then obtained and Fourier analysis is performed, which indicates that the features of MLA and the display play a critical role in spatial frequency transfer characteristics, greatly affecting the resolution. These studies might be useful for the further research and understanding of II systems, especially for the effective enhancement of resolution.