Optical fabrication is the manufacture of an optical element (e.g., lens, flat, mirror, active optic) which is often made of glass. Manufacturing next generation optics have been and will continue to be enablers for enhancing the performance of advanced lasers, imaging systems, and lithography. During optical fabrication, which involves both grinding and polishing, complex mechanical and chemical interactions between the workpiece, lap/tool and slurry have historically led to this field being largely an ‘art’ as opposed to being a ‘science’. Over the past decade or so, significant advances have been made in understanding the science of optical fabrication leading to processes that yield optics with improved laser damage resistance, surface figure, and surface roughness. In this webinar presented by the OSA Optical Material Studies Technical Group, Dr. Tayyab Suratwala will review advances in this area.

*This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 within the LDRD program. (LLNL-ABS-702700)

What You Will Learn in the Webinar:

• Overview of optical fabrication
• Review of chemical, mechanical, and physical interactions affecting:
  • Subsurface damage
  • Surface figure
  • Roughness
• Techniques utilized to fabricate optics with improved optical performance and laser damage resistance
• Techniques for fabricating optics more economically
• Techniques to performing forensics on defects optical surfaces to improve fabrication yield

Who Should Attend the Webinar:

• Optical fabricators
• Optical designers
• Laser glass optic users