Free-form Optics Polishing by Magnetorheological Approach

"Free-form optics such as mirrors for surveillance, UV lenses for lithography, X-ray mirrors for X-ray lithography, conformal optics (spherical and aspherical), laser rods and windows are some of the important defense and commercial applications of opticmaterials. The demand on optical performance of these materials is increasing significantly. To achieve high optical performance, ultraprecision polishing is required for these optical surfaces. Conventional methods cannot achieve high surface finish andare time-consuming and labor intensive. Materials Modification Inc proposes to polish such free-form optics with a novel magnetorheological approach. The Phase I efforts will evaluate the proposed approach by polishing samples of silicon carbide mirrorsand sapphire flats. ¿ The proposed technique can be used to polish large area tracking and scanning lightweight mirrors¿ Other potential defense applications include solar collectors and concentrators, X-ray and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) mirrors¿ Commercial applications include high-precision polishing of mirrors and aspheric lenses"