How are optics manufactured?

Optics Manufacturing: An Overview

Introduction

When it comes to crafting high-quality optical components, a series of complex and precise processes are involved. For a comprehensive guide, you can find more details on our website.

Conventional Lens Production

The production of a conventional spherical lens commences with shaping a glass blank through grinding, often using ring tools. Post grinding, the surface undergoes meticulous polishing, a stage referred to as lapping, which involves a tool with the desired form and a slurry consisting of abrasives and fluid. Typically, a carved pitch tool coupled with slurry made from cerium or zirconium oxide facilitates this process.

There are different lapping methods, such as planetary, double-sided, and cylindrical lapping. Polishing demands intermittent testing to verify the lens shape's accuracy, often measured in wavelengths. Quality lenses maintain deviations within a quarter wavelength, whereas precision lenses, crucial for applications like lasers and interferometry, boast deviations within a tenth of a wavelength.

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Advanced Fabrication Techniques

Innovative Approaches

While conventional techniques remain prominent, advanced methods like single-point diamond turning (SPDT) and magnetorheological finishing (MRF) offer novel ways to achieve precise optical surfaces.

Free-Abrasive Grinding

This technique utilizes gritty particles in a slurry to grind down the optical material. After initial grinding, further stages with finer grit sizes reduce surface roughness and subsurface damage. Common abrasives include aluminum oxide and industrial diamond.

Polishing Methods

Polishing involves abrasive particles in a fluid medium to achieve the final lens surface. Cerium oxide, diamond, and colloidal silica are commonly used abrasive particles, often supplemented by suspension agents and lubricants.

Materials and Their Uses

Optical components are fashioned from various materials, including types of glass, fused silica, silicon, and crystal quartz. Infrared optics often utilize materials like zinc selenide, zinc sulfide, and gallium arsenide.

Optical Component Specifications

The specifications for optical components vary widely. For instance, prisms have unique requirements like pyramidal error, beam displacement, and wavefront quality. Aspheric lenses need precise base radius and polynomial coefficients, while coatings demand stringent reflection and transmission properties. Ensuring compliance with these specifications within the maximum allowable thickness is crucial.

Surface Quality Standards

Surface quality evaluates imperfections like scratches and pits, typically rated by scratch-dig specifications. Standards like MIL-PRF-13830B and ISO 10110 govern these assessments, although newer standards like ANSI/OEOSC OP1.002 offer enhanced guidelines.

Testing Techniques

Interferometry, particularly using Fizeau interferometers, is central to optical testing. Stitching interferometry helps assess aspheric surfaces by creating a comprehensive high-resolution image from multiple subaperture tests.

Conclusion

The meticulous processes in optical manufacturing ensure the components meet precise specifications. For even more detailed insights into micro optics assembly, our team at optec is ready to assist you.