Comparison of Anti-Reflective Coated and Uncoated Surfaces Figured by Pitch-Polishing and Magneto-Rheological Processes
When completed, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) will provide laser energies in the Mega-joule range. Successful pulse amplification to these extremely high levels requires that all small optics, found earlier in the beamline, have stringent surface and laser fluence requirements. In addition, they must operate reliably for 30 years constituting hundreds of thousands of shots. As part of the first four beamlines, spherical and aspherical lenses were required for the beam relaying telescopes. The magneto-rheological technique allows for faster and more accurate finishing of aspheres. The spherical and aspherical lenses were final figured using both conventional-pitch polishing processes for high quality laser optics and the magneto-rheological finishing process. The purpose of this paper is to compare the surface properties between these two finishing processes. Some lenses were set aside from production for evaluation. The surface roughness in the mid-frequency range was measured and the scatter was studied. Laser damage testing at 1064 nm (3-ns pulse width) was performed on surfaces in both the uncoated and coated condition.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 15004314
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-JC-149626
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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