Applicability of iTIRM for roughness reduction monitoring

The results obtained with iTIRM during polishing are presented. It is shown that iTIRM unites the working ranges of several other techniques where iTIRM can be used during production where the others can not. The applicable range of iTIRM is shown to be at least 1 um down to 0.1 nm rms.

In-process monitoring of grinding and polishing of optical surfaces

A new tool with which to monitor the quality (roughness and subsurface damage) of optical surfaces during grinding and polishing, intensity-detecting total internal reflection microscopy (iTIRM), is presented. A general description of the new measurement method is given, followed by a description of the experimental in situ measurement setup....

Quantitative roughness measurements with iTIRM

A new method, iTIRM, is used for quantitative surface roughness measurements of ground and polished surfaces and it is shown to be a useful tool for measuring total surface quality instead of individual roughness parameters.

In-process monitoring of transition from brittle to ductile mode grinding

Quantitative surface characterization using a Nomarski microscope

The use of a Nomarski microscope for the characterization of surface features will be presented. Since a Nomarski microscope measures slope values, the shape of a surface can be followed quantitatively. Besides, a Nomarski microscope can be used to analyze surface roughness in terms of rms value and a distinction between different types of...

iTIRM: A nondestructive measuring technique to monitor surface quality during grinding and polishing

A new measurement method, called iTIRM, is presented. It is capable of measuring the surface quality, roughness and subsurface damage, of optical surfaces in a nondestructive way. Measurements have been carried out and are presented, showing the capability of iTIRM to quantify the quality of optical surfaces and to localize surface defects. The...

Application industrielle de ITIRM pour visualiser et mesurer la qualité de surface lors de la fabrication de composants optiques de haute qualité

iTIRM est une nouvelle méthode quantitative pour mesurer la qualité de surface des composants optiques. A cause de son caractère non destructif, il est possible d'utiliser iTIRM pour contrôler la qualité de surface lors des procédés de doucissage et de polissage. Par conséquent, iTIRM est un outil pratique pour l'amélioration ou le développement...

Optical Fabrication in the Optics Research Group

Within the Optics Research Group there has been, and still is an interest in optical fabrication. The group had its own optical workshop in which the experimental work could be carried out. Recently, the optical workshop has been taken over by TNO/TPD and is now operated under the name Delft Center of Optical Surfaces (DeCOS), both for...

iTIRM: Ruwheidsmetingen aan oppervlakken tijdens bewerking

Het fabriceren van optische elementen zoals lenzen en spiegels gebeurt door glasoppervlakken te bewerken met slijp- en polijstprocessen. Eerst wordt door middel van slijpen de vorm van het oppervlak gemaakt; hierbij ontstaan ook kleine scheurtjes onder het oppervlak, de zogenaamde ‘sub surface damage’ (SSD). Na het slijpen wordt het oppervlak...

Subsurface damage measurements as a tool for process monitoring

A new method is presented that is capable of measuring the surface quality, including subsurface damage, of optical surfaces. This method, called iTIRM, can easily be automated and used for process control and as an investigation tool for optical fabrication processes.