Dr. Craig Olson
Sr Principal Engineer at Arete Associates
SPIE Involvement:
Conference Program Committee | Author | Editor | Instructor
Area of Expertise:
Optical Design and Engineering , EOIR System Development , Sensor system modeling
Websites:
Profile Summary

Craig Olson received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a MS and Ph.D. in from the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester.

Dr. Olson has a multidisciplinary electro-optical engineering background with training in in electrical engineering, semiconductor lasers and diffraction theory of laser emission. He has worked in both the telecommunications and commercial optical products sector with emphasis on traditional optical design and engineering. From 2005-2014 he worked at L-3 Communications / L3Harris, during which time he has designed, modeled, and built multiple multispectral sensor payloads for airborne- and ground-based imaging. He has worked multiple programs through the entire life cycle from mission concept, requirements development, detailed design, engineering transition, and full-scale operational support.
Publications (23)

SPIE Journal Paper | 27 July 2019
OE, Vol. 58, Issue 07, 073105, (July 2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.OE.58.7.073105
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Infrared search and track, Target detection, Point spread functions, Modulation transfer functions, Signal to noise ratio, Visibility, Diffraction, Optical engineering, Detector arrays

SPIE Journal Paper | 27 May 2019 Open Access
Heath Gemar, Ronald Driggers, Gene Tener, Carl Halford, Nicolette Fudala, Jennifer Hewitt, Robert Short, Teresa Pace, Drew Manville, David Shelton, Michael Theisen, David Gaudiosi, Craig Olson
OE, Vol. 58, Issue 05, 053107, (May 2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.OE.58.5.053107
KEYWORDS: Signal to noise ratio, Sensors, Unmanned aerial vehicles, Infrared sensors, Mid-IR, Cameras, Long wavelength infrared, Point spread functions, Target detection, Thermal modeling

Proceedings Article | 14 May 2019 Presentation + Paper
H. Gemar, R. Driggers, G. Tener, C. Halford, N. Fudala, J. Hewitt, R. Short, T. Pace, D. Manville, D. Shelton, M. Theisen, D. Gaudiosi, C. Olson
Proceedings Volume 11001, 110010E (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2527191
KEYWORDS: Signal to noise ratio, Sensors, Unmanned aerial vehicles, Point spread functions, Mid-IR, Cameras, Long wavelength infrared, Target detection, Infrared sensors, Thermal modeling

SPIE Journal Paper | 30 April 2019
Nicolette Fudala, Robert Short, Jennifer Hewitt, Carl Halford, Teresa Pace, Drew Manville, Mike Theisen, Chris Fearing, Alex Dapore, Craig Olson, Gene Tener, David Gaudiosi, Kathleen Richardson, Ron Driggers
OE, Vol. 58, Issue 04, 043107, (April 2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.OE.58.4.043107
KEYWORDS: Unmanned aerial vehicles, Mid-IR, Long wavelength infrared, Cameras, Black bodies, Infrared signatures, Calibration, Infrared search and track, Sensors, Optical engineering

Proceedings Article | 11 May 2018 Presentation + Paper
Proceedings Volume 10650, 106500J (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2304052
KEYWORDS: Signal to noise ratio, Modulation transfer functions, Video, Image resolution, Spatial resolution, Modulation, Motion estimation, Imaging systems, Airborne remote sensing

Showing 5 of 23 publications
Proceedings Volume Editor (5)

SPIE Conference Volume | 4 April 2018

SPIE Conference Volume | 7 April 2017

SPIE Conference Volume | 22 August 2016

SPIE Conference Volume | 17 April 2015

SPIE Conference Volume | 4 April 2014

Conference Committee Involvement (46)
Advanced Optics for Imaging Applications: UV through LWIR X
14 April 2025 | Orlando, Florida, United States
Photonic Instrumentation Engineering XII
27 January 2025 | San Francisco, California, United States
Novel Optical Systems, Methods, and Applications XXVII
19 August 2024 | San Diego, California, United States
Advanced Optics for Imaging Applications: UV through LWIR IX
22 April 2024 | National Harbor, Maryland, United States
Photonic Instrumentation Engineering XI
29 January 2024 | San Francisco, California, United States
Showing 5 of 46 Conference Committees
Course Instructor
SC003: Practical Optical System Design and Engineering
This course will provide attendees with a basic working knowledge of optical design and associated engineering. The information in this course will help novice and experienced designers, as well as people who interact with optical designers and engineers, sufficiently understand these problems and solutions to minimize cost and risk. The course includes background information for optical design and an array of pragmatic considerations such as optical system specification, analysis of optical systems, material selection, use of catalog systems and components, ultraviolet through infrared system considerations, environmental factors and solutions, Gaussian beam optics, and production considerations such as optical testing and alignment. The course includes practical and useful examples emphasizing rigorous optical design and engineering with an emphasis on designing for manufacture. Even if you have never used an optical design program before, you will become fluent with how to estimate, assess, execute, and manage the design of optical systems for many varied applications. This course is a continuation of the long-running Practical Optical Systems Design course established and taught by Robert E. Fischer.
SC690: Optical System Design: Layout Principles and Practice
This course provides the background and principles necessary to understand how optical imaging systems function, allowing you to produce a system layout which will satisfy the performance requirements of your application. This course teaches the methods and techniques of arriving at the first-order layout of an optical system by a process which determines the required components and their locations. This process will produce an image of the right size and in the right location. A special emphasis is placed on understanding the practical aspects of the design of optical systems. <br/> Optical system imagery can readily be calculated using the Gaussian cardinal points or by paraxial ray tracing. These principles are extended to the layout and analysis of multi-component systems. This course includes topics such as imaging with thin lenses and systems of thin lenses, stops and pupils, and afocal systems. The course starts by providing the necessary background and theory of first-order optical design followed by numerous examples of optical systems illustrating the design process and then concludes with a software (e.g. CODE V and Zemax) demonstration.
SC720: Cost-Conscious Tolerancing of Optical Systems
Presented in this course are concepts and methods to help attendees determine optimal tolerances for optical systems, regardless of product volume. Beginning with a review of the role of the systems engineer in the verification and allocation of requirements, a 10-step plan for creating error budgets is introduced. These budgets provide the basis for developing tolerances for design, optical and mechanical fabrication, assembly, operation, compensation, and calibration as needed. The importance of iteratively tolerancing throughout the design and development process is discussed in detail. Two optical system examples are featured, and tolerancing is demonstrated for focal length, wavefront error and MTF, and geolocation. These exercises are intended to help those in systems engineering, optical design, fabrication, and metrology work together to build high-quality cost-competitive optical systems.
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