Chromatic confocal systems focus the spectral components of a polychromatic
signal at different spatial positions where they are filtered with
apertures.  This approach is used for the encoding and decoding of
information in the spectral distribution of an optical signal. The most
common applications are distance sensors and hyperspectral imaging systems.
In this thesis the design of chromatic confocal systems is discussed.
Advanced signal models are developed systematically which take into account
the physical properties of the optical system, its aberrations, and the
properties of the detection system. They include incoherent light sources
as well as illumination geometries of finite size and are implemented using
fast numerical techniques. The signal models enable an accurate prediction
of the spectral filtering characteristic which is used as the main
performance criterion at all stages of the design process. Based on this
performance criterion, strategies for the efficient development of starting
systems are derived. They are accompanied by an aberration discussion which
is focused on the compensation of aberrations in post processing and
through specific optical layouts. In combination with the newly developed
signal models, this approach enables the design of optimized, compact, and
cost effective sensor systems which are tailored to the
application-specific requirements and use cheap incoherent light sources
like light-emitting diodes. The design strategies are used for the
development of several demonstrators and commercial sensor systems.