High precision optical and mechanical metrology enables Optimax to adhere to tight tolerances and ensure customer satisfaction. Optimax has more than 100 highly trained opticians that measure and certify optics to customer supplied specifications. Following specific quality control standards, Optimax provides an inspection data record with each optic to ensure that it meets customer expectations.
Often times, an optician’s ability to finish an optical surface is limited by metrology. Optimax has a continuous improvement program for quality assurance to identify measurement uncertainties and minimize their impact upon inspection of an optic. Conclusively measuring a lens attribute value to a known certainty establishes lens quality, which creates value for the customer. Reliable inspection data removes unknowns in optical system modeling and performance.
For more information relating to lens attributes please see:
| Attribute | Optimax Metrology | Typical Measurement Knowledge |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | Micrometer | ±0.002 mm to ±0.005 mm (Diameter Dependent) |
| Sag | Drop Gauge | ±0.002 mm |
| Radius | Interferometer | ±0.005% |
| Irregularity | Interferometer | ±0.05 fr |
| Form Error | Profilometer | ±0.02 μm |
Optimax employs specialized tools to meet the most extreme metrology needs. Precision Standard Fizeau interferometers are used to measure irregularity for spherical and plano surfaces. For non-spherical surfaces, such as aspheres, Optimax utilizes surface profilers, custom interferometer setups, and stitching interferometers. Stitching interferometers measure multiple zones on the lens surface then stitch the data together mathematically to determine irregularity over the full aperture.
Example measurement from a stitching interferometer
Optimax’s new Metrology Laboratory will provide the best possible environment for precision measurements. The facility, with extreme vibration isolation and temperature control, is intended for measurement of high precision optical components to accuracies better than 50th wave.
In addition, specialized software tools that measure irregularity for comparison to a Zernike fit specification are available to optical designers for measurement analysis.
Our R&D team is continuously working on independent projects and with the shop floor to improve our metrology capabilities. We are identifying and working to reduce the uncertainties in our measurements. In addition, our R&D team is working on software tools to better identify specific surface errors. We hope that this work can help our customers in specifying surfaces and our opticians in manufacturing surfaces.
For more information please see Optimax Innovation or contact sales@optimaxsi.com.
Freeform surfaces are quickly becoming a desired and necessary shape for many refractive and reflective optical systems. In this paper, we will discuss the round-robin study of surface irregularity measurements of a freeform toroidal window.
Freeform optical systems are becoming increasingly common due to new design and manufacturing methods. We present an example compact freeform optical system and describe considerations for transfer of the prescription of freeform surfaces for fabrication.
Monolithic multi-surface telescopes combined with freeform optical surfaces provide improvements in optical performance in a smaller footprint as compared to systems with spherical surfaces, while providing superior mechanical stability to traditional telescope assemblies.
Opticians have for years kept polishing pitch in electrified containers called “pitch pots” that keeps it in at an elevated temperature. By insulating the top of a pitch pot, it will impact the temperature, which we will explore in this paper.
This work presents an overview of the Segmented Aperture Interferometric Nulling Testbed (SAINT), a project that will pair an actively-controlled macro-scale segmented mirror with the Visible Nulling Coronagraph (VNC).
This explores quick predictive methods for calculating potentially risky stresses in cemented doublets underdoing temperature change that agrees well with finite element analysis. It also provides guidelines for avoiding stress concentrations.
Optical designers assume a mathematically derived statistical distribution of the relevant design parameters. Presented are measured distributions using lens manufacturing data to better inform the decision-making process.
Optical designers assume a mathematically derived statistical distribution of the relevant design parameters. However, there may be significant differences between the assumed distributions and the likely outcomes from manufacturing.
Hard ceramic conformal windows and domes provide challenges to the optical fabricator. Creative optical fabrication techniques, including VIBE™, help produce these types of optics cost-effectively.
Sapphire poses very difficult challenges to optical manufacturers due to its high hardness and anisotropic properties. These challenges can result in long lead times and high prices. Optimax is developing a high speed, cost effective process to produce such windows.
When manufacturing precision optical surfaces of relatively larger sizes it is critical to understand the thermal stability of the substrate material. The material properties associated with thermal homogenization are commonly reviewed and soak schedules are created.
Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has become widely used in recent years for the creation of both prototype and end-use parts. The flexibility is unparalleled and has opened the design space to enable features like undercuts and internal channels.
Improvements to sensing hardware and image processing for airborne optical systems have inspired designers to propose new optics and windows to be: more precise, conformal/freeform and multi-functional.
There are many decisions to make when designing, specifying, manufacturing, and testing optical components for high-energy laser systems — each is a potential failure mechanism that must be understood and controlled.
The concept for polishing optical elements with a process called VIBE is presented, application to non uniformly sloped optics such as aspheric shapes is detailed, and initial results on spherical surfaces are presented.
With increasing demand for deep UV applications, special considerations must be taken to produce the optics. Specifically, as the wavelength of incident light decreases, the importance of smooth surfaces increases.
A conventional study was conducted with infrared material zinc sulfide with the goal of producing defect-free polished surfaces in a predictable amount of time.
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