Rapid, noncontact optical figuring of aspheric surfaces with plasma-assisted chemical etching

Lynn David Bollinger; Gregg M. Gallatin; J. Samuels; G. Steinberg; Charles B. Zarowin

doi:10.1117/12.22788

1 November 1990 Rapid, noncontact optical figuring of aspheric surfaces with plasma-assisted chemical etching

Lynn David Bollinger, Gregg M. Gallatin, J. Samuels, G. Steinberg, Charles B. Zarowin

Proceedings Volume 1333, Advanced Optical Manufacturing and Testing; (1990) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.22788
Event: 34th Annual International Technical Symposium on Optical and Optoelectronic Applied Science and Engineering, 1990, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

This paper presents results on figuring aspheric optical surfaces by Plasma Assisted Chemical Etching (PACE) demonstrating rapid, predictable convergence to the final figure. The figuring data shows better than 95% convergence of the final figure in a single operation for large spatial errors (on the order of the plasma tool size and larger) and a high efficiency for correcting errors much smaller than the tool size (mid-spatial frequency range). Automated correction of arbitrary figure errors are made from surface metrology data. This technology can be scaled from small optics, millimeters in diameter, to large optics, meters in diameter. A PACE production capability is first being developed for relatively small optics, up to 12" diameter, that can have an anamorphic shape. The central feature of PACE is control of material removal regardless of surface shape. In addition, it is capable of high removal rates for a polishing process, one to two orders of magnitude larger than conventional pitch polishing. Thus, PACE can be used for figure generation as well as final figure correction. PACE intrinsically smoothes while removing material leaving a virgin surface free of process related contamination and subsurface damage.

Citation Download Citation

Lynn David Bollinger, Gregg M. Gallatin, J. Samuels, G. Steinberg, and Charles B. Zarowin "Rapid, noncontact optical figuring of aspheric surfaces with plasma-assisted chemical etching", Proc. SPIE 1333, Advanced Optical Manufacturing and Testing, (1 November 1990); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.22788

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