Optical Components

Optical Components
Accurate qualification of optical components is a vital source of feedback to an
optical manufacturing operation. From plano to spherical to aspheric shapes,
common measurements include surface form error, waviness and roughness.
Depending on the type of part and its application, material and geometric
properties such as transmitted wavefront, homogeneity, wedge,
parallelism, thickness variation, and radius of curvature may also require
careful control. Optical components are the building blocks of optical systems,
making it critical to verify that each optic meets its requirements prior to
integration into an assembly. Backed by over 50 years of experience supplying
the highest quality optics and instrumentation, ZYGO’s laser
interferometers and 3D optical profilers provide users with confidence in
metrology for a wide range of optical components.
Lenses

Lenses are made up of two surfaces which can be flat (plano), spherical,
aspheric, or cylindrical. These surface shapes can all be measured for surface
form errors, while the transmitted wavefront of a single lens or system of lenses
can also be measured. These measurements can then be analyzed to provide
information about the Point Spread Function, Modulation Transfer Function,
Encircled Energy, and Strehl Ratio of an optical system or lens.
Windows

Windows consist of two flat polished surfaces. Primarily, the surface

flatness of a window will determine its performance and needs to be measured.
These surfaces may need to be parallel or have a defined wedge between the
two. Parallel parts present unique measurement challenges and are best handled
using ZYGO Verifire™ MST interferometers. Parallel parts also present a
unique opportunity to simultaneously measure all the surfaces of a window.
Homogeneity of refractive index is another important metric used to define the
quality of optical materials. Commonly measured by glass suppliers,
homogeneity is the variation of refractive index throughout bulk optical
materials. It is possible to measure homogeneity using any ZYGO
interferometer, but ZYGO’s Verifire™ MST interferometers can provide a fast
and reliable measurement of nonlinear and linear homogeneity.
Mirrors

Mirrors are reflective surfaces used to steer light. Mirrors have the
advantage of providing the same performance regardless of wavelength.
However, surface figure requirements for reflective components are much more
demanding than their refractive counterparts. These surfaces can be plano,
spherical, aspherical, cylindrical, or freeform in shape and can be measured
using ZYGO interferometers and accessories.
Prisms and Cornercubes

Like mirrors, prisms are used to direct light where it is needed. Each face of
a prism is built to a very specific angle relative to the others in a prism. This has
the advantage of always providing the same output angle relative to the input. It
is very important to measure these angles for accuracy since they cannot be
changed after finishing.
Common prism measurements include right angle prism error, corner cube
dihedral angle, surface flatness of prism faces, beam deviation, and transmitted
wavefront error.

Beamsplitters

Beamsplitters are unique because they are intended to both transmit and
reflect light. That makes the specifications on transmitted wavefront and surface
form error critically important. Some beamsplitters are made up component
prisms where it is important to measure each component before assembling.
Flat or Plano Surfaces
Flat surfaces are used in nearly all optical systems, and it is critical to ensure
they meet specification. These surfaces are easily measured using
interferometry and the results are extremely repeatable and reliable. Using a
ZYGO Ultraflat and best practices, plano surfaces can be measured with an
uncertainty of as low as λ/100. Large aperture beam expanders can be added to
any of ZYGO’s interferometer systems to accommodate flat parts up to 32” in
diameter.
Spherical Surfaces

Spherical surfaces used for lenses and mirrors are defined by their radius of
curvature. Along with surface form error, these two quantities will drive the
performance of the lens or mirror and it is essential to validate both to ensure the
performance of an optical component. Spherical surface form is tested using a
transmission sphere to generate an ideal reference wavefront. The same
transmission sphere along with radius scale hardware is used to measure radius
of curvature.
Cylindrical Surfaces
Cylindrical optics present a more difficult problem for optical testing than do
flat or spherical optics. Testing cylindrical optics using a conventional
interferometer requires generating a cylindrical wavefront to match the
curvature of the surface. Because cylindrical optics are inherently more difficult
to fabricate, it is difficult to manufacture good interferometric references that
would allow cylindrical surfaces to be fabricated.
Conventional interferometry can provide useful information about a cylindrical
optic's surface, but a Computer Generated Hologram (CGH) can be used to
gather a complete description of the surface. A CGH can generate a cylindrical
wavefront to match the curvature of the test surface. Similar to testing a sphere
with a Transmission Sphere, a single cylinder CGH allows for testing a wide
range of cylinder optics.

Aspheric and Freeform Surfaces

While some conic shapes have been used for a long time like parabolic and
hyperbolic mirrors in telescope systems, more general aspheres have been
difficult to manufacture and test. Advances in both are allowing optical
designers to reliably use aspheric surfaces to improve optical performance and
reduce size and weight of optical systems. Aspheric surfaces can be measured
using the VeriFire Asphere system or Computer Generated Holograms (CGH).
The wavefront error of optical elements or systems using aspheric surfaces can
also be measured directly, avoiding the need to measure the aspheric surface.