In situ monitoring and controlling surface shape of the polishing pad in continuous polishing

Abstract

Abstract. High-power laser devices have stringent requirements for the surface accuracy of optical elements. Continuous polishing is an effective technique for polishing high-precision optical elements. To overcome the problem of poor real-time capability and low accuracy in traditional surface shape monitoring and controlling methods used in continuous polishing, an online monitoring device is developed to monitor the surface shape of the polishing pad. The experimental results of the online measurement are highly consistent with the offline results obtained using an interferometer. The correctness and feasibility of the online monitoring scheme are well validated. Based on the online monitoring device for the surface shape of the polishing pad, we propose a method of automatic control for the surface shape of the polishing pad. This method maintains the flatness of the polishing pad to 0.05λ (λ = 632.8 nm), peak to valley, as measured on a 100-mm monitoring element through computer control.