Mid-spatial frequency error (MSFR) should be strictly controlled in modern optical systems. As an effective approach to suppress MSFR, the smoothing polishing (SP) process is not easy to handle because it can be affected by many factors. This paper mainly focuses on the influence of the pad groove, which has not been researched yet. The SP process is introduced, and the important role of the pad groove is explained in detail. The relationship between the contact pressure distribution and the groove feature including groove section type, groove width, and groove depth is established, and the optimized result is achieved with the finite element method. The different kinds of groove patterns are compared utilizing the numerical superposition method established scrupulously. The optimal groove is applied in the verification experiment conducted on a self-developed SP machine. The root mean square value of the MSFR after the SP process is diminished from 2.38 to 0.68 nm, which reveals that the selected pad can smooth out the MSFR to a great extent with proper SP parameters, while the newly generated MSFR due to the groove can be suppressed to a very low magnitude.
The smoothing effect of the rigid lap plays an important role in controlling midspatial frequency errors (MSFRs). At present, the pressure distribution between the polishing pad and processed surface is mainly calculated by Mehta's bridging model. However, this classic model does not work for the irregular MSFR. In this paper, a generalized numerical model based on the finite element method (FEM) is proposed to solve this problem. First, the smoothing polishing (SP) process is transformed to a 3D elastic structural FEM model, and the governing matrix equation is gained. By virtue of the boundary conditions applied to the governing matrix equation, the nodal displacement vector and nodal force vector of the pad can be attained, from which the pressure distribution can be extracted. In the partial contact condition, the iterative method is needed. The algorithmic routine is shown, and the applicability of the generalized numerical model is discussed. The detailed simulation is given when the lap is in contact with the irregular surface of different morphologies. A well-designed SP experiment is conducted in our lab to verify the model. A small difference between the experimental data and simulated result shows that the model is totally practicable. The generalized numerical model is applied on a Φ500 mm parabolic surface. The calculated result and measured data after the SP process have been compared, which indicates that the model established in this paper is an effective method to predict the SP process.
A polishing pad can smooth out mid-to-high spatial frequency errors automatically due to its rigidity and modeling of the smoothing effect is important. The relationship between surface error and polishing time is built here based on the Bridging model and Preston's equation. A series of smoothing experiments using pitch tools under different motion manners were performed and the results verified exponential decay between surface error and smoothing time. At the same time, parameters describing smoothing efficiency and smoothing limit were also fitted from the results. This method can be applied to predict the smoothing effect, estimate the smoothing time and compare smoothing rates of different runs.
Formation of subsurface damage has an inseparable relationship with microscopic material behaviors. In this work, our research results indicate that the formation process of subsurface damage often accompanies with the local densification effect of fused silica material, which seriously influences microscopic material properties. Interestingly, we find ion beam sputtering (IBS) is very sensitive to the local densification, and this microscopic phenomenon makes IBS as a promising technique for the detection of nanoscale subsurface damages. Additionally, to control the densification effect and subsurface damage during the fabrication of high-performance optical components, a combined polishing technology integrating chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) and ion beam figuring (IBF) is proposed. With this combined technology, fused silica without subsurface damage is obtained through the final experimental investigation, which demonstrates the feasibility of our proposed method.
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