Evolution Strategies for Mixed-Integer Optimization of Optical Multilayer Systems

An extension of the evolution strategy for mixed-integer optimization problems is introduced. The resulting generalized evolution strategy is applied to the problem of optical multilayer coating design and the results are compared with results obtained by standard methods. The generalized evolution strategy as a synthesis method does not require the existence of a starting design, and it competes well with refinement methods for the optimization of starting designs. The results are very encouraging and indicate that this method is a robust and helpful algorithm for optical multilayer design. Furthermore, the generalized evolution strategy is not a tailored heuristic but can be used for arbitrary mixed-integer optimization problems.