Improved Manufacturing Processes For EKV Telescopes by Application of DFMA and Advanced Metrology Tools

There is significant opportunity to reduce cost, cycle time, and process variability of optical sensor assemblies through the application of innovative engineering and metrology tools. The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of applying DFMA (Design for Manufacturability and Assembly) techniques and Advanced Metrology tools to systematically evaluate the manufacturing processes associated with construction of EKV telescopes, and to relate this information to improvements in cost, cycle time, reliability, quality/yield and manufacturing process variability. The metrics for making a true assessment are interrelated in a complex manner that includes the design/system performance requirements, component design and fabrication methods, assembly and alignment methods and procedures, test requirements, and the special tooling and test equipment used to accomplish the tasks at each level. Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona will work together with Zygo as an integrated product improvement (IPT) team to model different candidate designs and feed the DFMA information back into the design cycle. By doing this in an iterative manner, each configuration can be evaluated uniformly with each candidate design having the benefits of the DFMA process. Zygo has a successful track record of achieving reduced cost and cycle time and improved yield from distributed resources through the use of the DFMA process.