Experimental power spectral density analysis for mid- to high-spatial frequency surface error control.

The control of surface errors as a function of spatial frequency is critical during the fabrication of modern optical systems. A large-scale surface figure error is controlled by a guided removal process, such as computer-controlled optical surfacing. Smaller-scale surface errors are controlled by polishing process parameters. Surface errors of only a few millimeters may degrade the performance of an optical system, causing background noise from scattered light and reducing imaging contrast for large optical systems. Conventionally, the microsurface roughness is often given by the root mean square at a high spatial frequency range, with errors within a 0.5×0.5 mm local surface map with 500×500 pixels. This surface specification is not adequate to fully describe the characteristics for advanced optical systems. The process for controlling and minimizing mid- to high-spatial frequency surface errors with periods of up to ∼2-3 mm was investigated for many optical fabrication conditions using the measured surface power spectral density (PSD) of a finished Zerodur optical surface. Then, the surface PSD was systematically related to various fabrication process parameters, such as the grinding methods, polishing interface materials, and polishing compounds. The retraceable experimental polishing conditions and processes used to produce an optimal optical surface PSD are presented.

Subaperture stitching tolerancing for annular ring geometry.

Subaperture stitching is an economical way to extend small-region, high-resolution interferometric metrology to cover large-aperture optics. Starting from system geometry and measurement noise knowledge, this work derives an analytical expression for how noise in an annular ring of subapertures leads to large-scale errors in the computed stitched surface. These errors scale as sin(πp/M)(-2) where p is the number of sine periods around the annular full-aperture and M is the number of subaperture measurements. Understanding how low-spatial-frequency surface errors arise from subaperture noise is necessary for tolerancing systems which use subaperture stitching.

Instrument transfer function of slope measuring deflectometry systems.

Slope measuring deflectometry (SMD) systems are developing rapidly in testing freeform optics. They measure the surface slope using a camera and an incoherent source. The principle of the test is mainly discussed in geometric optic domain. The system response as a function of spatial frequency or instrument transfer function (ITF) has yet to be studied thoroughly. Through mathematical modeling, simulation, and experiment we show that the ITF of an SMD system is very close to the modulation transfer function of the camera used. Furthermore, the ITF can be enhanced using a deconvolution filter. This study will lead to more accurate measurements in SMD and will show the physical optics nature of these tests.

Generalized sine condition.

The classic Abbe sine condition relates pupil distortion to aberrations with linear field dependence such as coma. This paper provides a fully generalized form of the sine condition that does not use any symmetry. It accurately predicts the change in aberration in the presence of field independent and pupil aberrations. The definitions of the image, object, and coordinate system are completely arbitrary. The relationship is verified using ray trace simulations of a number of systems that have varying degrees of complexity. The potential applications are discussed.

Diffractive optics calibrator: measurement of etching variations for binary computer-generated holograms.

We present a new device, the diffractive optics calibrator (DOC), for measuring etching variations of computer-generated holograms (CGHs). The intensity distribution of the far-field diffraction pattern is captured and fitted to a parametric model to obtain local etching parameters such as the duty cycle, etching depth, and grating period. The sensitivity of each etching parameter is analyzed, and design choices are provided. For the wavefront created by the CGH, the DOC is capable of measuring variations in these parameters that cause 1 nm peak-to-valley phase errors. System performance is verified by measurements from a phase shift Fizeau interferometer. This device will be used primarily for quality control of the CGHs. The measurement results can be used to evaluate the fabrication performance and guide future design. DOC is also capable of generating an induced phase error map for calibration. Such calibration is essential for measuring free-form aspheric surfaces with 1 nm root-mean-square accuracy.

Development of a portable deflectometry system for high spatial resolution surface measurements.

The Slope-Measuring Portable Optical Test System (SPOTS) is a new, portable, high-resolution, deflectometry device that achieves mid to high (20 to 1000 cyc/m) spatial frequency optical surface metrology with very little filtering and very little noise. Using a proof of concept system, we achieved 1 nm RMS surface accuracy for mid to high spatial frequencies, and 300 nrad RMS slope precision. SPOTS offers a turnkey solution for measuring errors on a wide variety of optical surfaces including the large mirrors fabricated at The University of Arizona. This paper defines and discusses SPOTS, including the principles of operation, measurement modes, design, performance, error analysis, and experimental results.

Binary pattern deflectometry.

Deflectometry is widely used to accurately calculate the slopes of any specular reflective surface, ranging from car bodies to nanometer-level mirrors. This paper presents a new deflectometry technique using binary patterns of increasing frequency to retrieve the surface slopes. Binary Pattern Deflectometry allows almost instant, simple, and accurate slope retrieval, which is required for applications using mobile devices. The paper details the theory of this deflectometry method and the challenges of its implementation. Furthermore, the binary pattern method can also be combined with a classic phase-shifting method to eliminate the need of a complex unwrapping algorithm and retrieve the absolute phase, especially in cases like segmented optics, where spatial algorithms have difficulties. Finally, whether it is used as a stand-alone or combined with phase-shifting, the binary patterns can, within seconds, calculate the slopes of any specular reflective surface.

Alignment of a three-mirror anastigmat using the sine condition test.

Continuing to develop the sine condition test (SCTest), we show how violations of the generalized sine condition can be used to align a three-mirror anastigmat (TMA). This paper shows how the linear aberrations measured using the sine condition, along with aberrations that have constant field dependence, can be used to align a system. We discuss the design of the test hardware needed to align a TMA and the procedure for alignment. Using simulation, we then investigate the behavior of the alignment SCTest for various levels of mirror misalignment, mirror fabrication errors, and misalignment of the test equipment. All of these tests show that the alignment SCTest can successfully align an optical system.

Orthonormal curvature polynomials over a unit circle: basis set derived from curvatures of Zernike polynomials.

Zernike polynomials are an orthonormal set of scalar functions over a circular domain, and are commonly used to represent wavefront phase or surface irregularity. In optical testing, slope or curvature of a surface or wavefront is sometimes measured instead, from which the surface or wavefront map is obtained. Previously we derived an orthonormal set of vector polynomials that fit to slope measurement data and yield the surface or wavefront map represented by Zernike polynomials. Here we define a 3-element curvature vector used to represent the second derivatives of a continuous surface, and derive a set of orthonormal curvature basis functions that are written in terms of Zernike polynomials. We call the new curvature functions the C polynomials. Closed form relations for the complete basis set are provided, and we show how to determine Zernike surface coefficients from the curvature data as represented by the C polynomials.

Correlation-based smoothing model for optical polishing.

A generalized model is developed to quantitatively describe the smoothing effects from different polishing tools used for optical surfaces. The smoothing effect naturally corrects mid-to-high spatial frequency errors that have features small compared to the size of the polishing lap. The original parametric smoothing model provided a convenient way to compare smoothing efficiency of different polishing tools for the case of sinusoidal surface irregularity, providing the ratio of surface improvement via smoothing to the bulk material removal. A new correlation-based smoothing model expands the capability to quantify smoothing using general surface data with complex irregularity. For this case, we define smoothing as a band-limited correlated component of the change in the surface and original surface. Various concepts and methods, such as correlation screening, have been developed and verified to manipulate the data for the calculation of smoothing factor. Data from two actual polishing runs from the Giant Magellan Telescope off-axis segment and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope monolithic primary-tertiary mirror were processed, and a quantitative evaluation for the smoothing efficiency of a large pitch lap and a conformal lap with polishing pads is provided.

Analysis of wavefront errors introduced by encoding computer-generated holograms.

The fabrication of computer-generated holograms (CGH) by e-beam or laser-writing machine specifically requires using polygon segments to approximate the continuously smooth fringe pattern of an ideal CGH. Wavefront phase errors introduced in this process depend on the size of the polygon segments and the shape of the fringes. In this paper, we propose a method for estimating the wavefront error and its spatial frequency, allowing optimization of the polygon sizes for required measurement accuracy. This method is validated with computer simulation and direct measurements from an interferometer.

Design and optimization of the sine condition test for measuring misaligned optical systems.

By taking a new look at an old concept, we have shown in our previous work how the Abbe sine condition can be used to measure linearly field-dependent aberrations in order to verify the alignment of optical systems. In this paper, we expand on this method and discuss the design choices involved in implementing the sine condition test (SCTest). Specifically, we discuss the two illumination options for the test: point source with a grating or flat-panel display, and we discuss the tradeoffs of the two approaches. Additionally, experimental results are shown using a flat-panel display to measure linearly field-dependent aberrations. Last, we elaborate on how to implement the SCTest on more complex optical systems, such as a three-mirror anastigmat and a double Gauss imaging lens system.

Measuring rough optical surfaces using scanning long-wave optical test system. 1. Principle and implementation.

Current metrology tools have limitations when measuring rough aspherical surfaces with 1-2 µm root mean square roughness; thus, the surface cannot be shaped accurately by grinding. To improve the accuracy of grinding, the scanning long-wave optical test system (SLOTS) has been developed to measure rough aspherical surfaces quickly and accurately with high spatial resolution and low cost. It is a long-wave infrared deflectometry device consisting of a heated metal ribbon and an uncooled thermal imaging camera. A slope repeatability of 13.6 µrad and a root-mean-square surface accuracy of 31 nm have been achieved in the measurements of two 4 inch spherical surfaces. The shape of a rough surface ground with 44 µm grits was also measured, and the result matches that from a laser tracker measurement. With further calibration, SLOTS promises to provide robust guidance through the grinding of aspherics.

Use of thermal sieve to allow optical testing of cryogenic optical systems.

Full aperture testing of large cryogenic optical systems has been impractical due to the difficulty of operating a large collimator at cryogenic temperatures. The Thermal Sieve solves this problem by acting as a thermal barrier between an ambient temperature collimator and the cryogenic system under test. The Thermal Sieve uses a set of thermally controlled baffles with array of holes that are lined up to pass the light from the collimator without degrading the wavefront, while attenuating the thermal background by nearly 4 orders of magnitude. This paper provides the theory behind the Thermal Sieve system, evaluates the optimization for its optical and thermal performance, and presents the design and analysis for a specific system.

Non-null full field X-ray mirror metrology using SCOTS: a reflection deflectometry approach.

In a previous paper, the University of Arizona (UA) has developed a measurement technique called: Software Configurable Optical Test System (SCOTS) based on the principle of reflection deflectometry. In this paper, we present results of this very efficient optical metrology method applied to the metrology of X-ray mirrors. We used this technique to measure surface slope errors with precision and accuracy better than 100 nrad (rms) and ~200 nrad (rms), respectively, with a lateral resolution of few mm or less. We present results of the calibration of the metrology systems, discuss their accuracy and address the precision in measuring a spherical mirror.

Self-consistent way to determine relative distortion of axial symmetric lens systems.

We present a simple method to determine the relative distortion of axially symmetric lens systems. This method uses graphs to determine every parametric value instead of nonlinear minimization computation and is composed of an LCD screen to display a square grid pattern of pixel-wide spots and a set of analyzing processes for the spots in the image. The two Cartesian components of the spot locations are processed by a two-step linear least-square fitting to third-order polynomials. The graphs for the coefficients enable us to determine the amount of decentering of the camera lens axis with respect to the center of the image array and the tip/tilt of the screen, which in turn gives the relative distortion coefficient. We present experimental results to demonstrate the utility of the method by comparing our results with the corresponding values determined by open source software available online.

Surface stresses of mixed-mode grinding materials on borosilicate glass.

Mixed-mode grinding occurs when a bound abrasive works in both brittle and ductile regimes simultaneously. Substrates ground in a mixed-mode behavior show reduced curvature induced by compressive surface forces than loose abrasives as demonstrated by observing the Twyman effect. This reduction in bending corresponds to reduced subsurface damage. This is verified by controlled acid etching, which shows the exponential decay of the compressive force per unit length. Loose abrasive particles, added to maintain pad wear due to low pressures, have no effect on the measured stresses. If loose abrasive wear ceases, the pads glaze. Glazing creates near-specular surfaces while reducing measurable stress. These effects for borosilicate glass and Trizact grinding pads are explored and quantified.

Implementation of sine condition test to measure optical system misalignments.

Rather than measuring aberrations across the field to quantify the alignment of an optical system, we show how a single, on-axis measurement of the pupil mapping can be used to measure the off-axis performance of the system and determine the state of alignment. In this paper we show how the Abbe sine condition can be used to relate the mapping between the entrance and exit pupils to image aberrations that have linear field dependence. This mapping error then can be used to measure the linear astigmatism caused by the misalignment. Additionally, we present experimental results from the sine condition test on a simple system.

Rigid conformal polishing tool using non-linear visco-elastic effect.

Computer controlled optical surfacing (CCOS) relies on a stable and predictable tool influence function (TIF), which is the shape of the wear function created by the machine. For a polishing lap, which is stroked on the surface, both the TIF stability and surface finish rely on the polishing interface maintaining intimate contact with the workpiece. Pitch tools serve this function for surfaces that are near spherical, where the curvature has small variation across the part. The rigidity of such tools provides natural smoothing of the surface, but limits the application for aspheric surfaces. Highly flexible tools, such as those created with an air bonnet or magnetorheological fluid, conform to the surface, but lack intrinsic stiffness, so they provide little natural smoothing. We present a rigid conformal polishing tool that uses a non-linear visco-elastic medium (i.e. non-Newtonian fluid) that conforms to the aspheric shape, yet maintains stability to provide natural smoothing. The analysis, design, and performance of such a polishing tool is presented, showing TIF stability of <10% and providing surface finish with <10A roughness.

Parametric smoothing model for visco-elastic polishing tools.

A parametric smoothing model is developed to quantitatively describe the smoothing action of polishing tools that use visco-elastic materials. These materials flow to conform to the aspheric shape of the workpieces, yet behave as a rigid solid for short duration caused by tool motion over surface irregularities. The smoothing effect naturally corrects the mid-to-high frequency errors on the workpiece while a large polishing lap still removes large scale errors effectively in a short time. Quantifying the smoothing effect allows improvements in efficiency for finishing large precision optics. We define normalized smoothing factor SF which can be described with two parameters. A series of experiments using a conventional pitch tool and the rigid conformal (RC) lap was performed and compared to verify the parametric smoothing model. The linear trend of the SF function was clearly verified. Also, the limiting minimum ripple magnitude PVmin from the smoothing actions and SF function slope change due to the total compressive stiffness of the whole tool were measured. These data were successfully fit using the parametric smoothing model.