Ion beam applications for precision infrared optics

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Abstract
In applications involving steering optical beams, the wavefront rms distortion introduced by the optical train strongly influences the system deviation from diffraction‐limited, which in turn determines the system performance in focusing, imaging, etc. Substrate surface figures better than λ/10 (λ in the visible) are sometimes required; for optical coatings, uniformities of 2% or better can be essential. These can be severe requirements, particularly for large diameter optics. Ion beam techniques can be applied to improve the surface figure of metal and glass substrates as well as dielectric coating materials. This is done at the expense of increased surface roughness. Results are presented illustrating the increase of surface roughness with an amount of ion beammilling for a variety of materials. Other parameters are described which determine the effectiveness of the process. Ion beammilling techniques have been employed for adjusting the performance of an optical coatingi n s i t u without breaking vacuum. Used with an optical monitor, the technique can be a diagnostic to analyze coating performance.

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