Standardizing optical design software data

Optical design automation requires a high degree of communication and collaboration across many disparate disciplines, each with their own concerns and expertise. Designing a successful optical system requires data from many sources, such as: materials, coatings, scattering, fabrication, mechanical, and systems-level. Standardization of key data in the optical design process will facilitate greater cross-domain sharing and ease of integration into the design workflow. This paper describes the author’s opinion on what those data are, how a re-imagined standard data format may enable greater optical design automation by promoting extensibility, and an analysis of the pros/cons of the various formats used today. The goal of this paper is to promote discussion between stakeholders and create a working group for standardization efforts.