Printed glass freeform optics with high surface quality

Phuong-Ha Cu-Nguyen; Hans Zappe

doi:10.1117/12.2608757

5 March 2022 Printed glass freeform optics with high surface quality

Phuong-Ha Cu-Nguyen, Hans Zappe

Proceedings Volume 12012, Advanced Fabrication Technologies for Micro/Nano Optics and Photonics XV; 1201202 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2608757
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2022, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

High-resolution microfabrication techniques such as two-photon polymerization have been extensively developed in response to the increasing demand for non-spherical optical surfaces. However, these fabrication processes are limited to polymer materials. On the other hand, glass freeform optics fabrication relies on complex and expensive processes, with strong limits on accessible dimensions, particularly for micro-optics. We present here a flexible, time-efficient and potentially low-cost fabrication process for freeform optics fabricated in fused silica. The process starts from a three-dimensional (3D) CAD model of a freeform surface which is precisely printed into a block of fused silica using tightly focused ultrashort laser pulses, with the precision up to 1 µm. The exposed volumes of the glass part are then removed in a KOH etch to reveal the freeform surface, which is still topically rough. In a subsequent step, the sample is subjected to a smoothening process using thermal annealing, where the sample is placed in an oven at 1350°C for 1 hour, followed by a slow cooling at a rate of 0.5°K/min. The roughness of the sample is then reduced from µm to sub nm, and is thus of optical quality. The results demonstrate the possibility of a novel micro fabrication process for glass freeform optics.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Phuong-Ha Cu-Nguyen and Hans Zappe "Printed glass freeform optics with high surface quality", Proc. SPIE 12012, Advanced Fabrication Technologies for Micro/Nano Optics and Photonics XV, 1201202 (5 March 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2608757

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