FOCUS-CORRECTED OPTICAL FILTER APPARATUS FOR MULTI-WAVELENGTH OPTICAL SYSTEMS

The focus-corrected optical filter apparatus includes multiple optical filter assemblies supported by a movable support member. Each optical filter assembly includes an optical filter and a corrector that form a filter-corrector pair that move together with the support member. Each corrector is formed to compensate for the adverse effects of chromatic aberration of a focusing lens at the given wavelength of the corresponding optical filter in the filter-corrector pair. Example correctors are flat glass plates with different thicknesses. The focus-corrected optical filter apparatus is arranged so that the different optical filter assemblies can be sequentially inserted into the optical path of a focused multi-wavelength light beam to sequentially form substantially monochromatic focused light beams having the different wavelengths but have the same focus position.