Applying freeform optics in high-end optical systems can improve system performance while decreasing the system mass, size and number of required components. Their widespread application is however held back by the lack of a suitable metrology method. TNO, TU/e and NMi VSL have therefore developed the NANOMEFOS measurement machine [1], capable of universal non-contact and fast measurement of aspherical and freeform optics ranging from convex to concave and from flat to freeform, up to ⊘500 mm, with an uncertainty below 30 nm (2σ).
In this paper, we discuss the two-mirror pushbroom telescope for TROPOMI. Using freeform optics, it has unprecedented resolution. The complete cycle of freeform optical design, analysis, manufacturing, metrology and functional test on a breadboard setup is described, focusing on the specific complexities concerning freeforms. The TROPOMI flight telescope will be manufactured in summer 2012.
The baseline design of the European Extremely Large Telescope features a telescope with a 39-meter-class
primary mirror (M1), consisting of 798 hexagonal segments. A measurement machine design is presented based
on a non-contact single-point scanning technique, capable of measuring the form error of each segment with
nanometer uncertainty, fast, and with low operational costs. The implementation of a tactile precision probe
eliminates the need for the CMM in the earlier segment manufacturing process. Preliminary assessment show
nanometer-level uncertainty after calibration.
TNO has developed the Optical Tube Assemblies (OTAs) for the ESO VLT Four Laser Guide Star Facility.
The OTAs are Galilean 20x beam expanders, expanding a ∅15 mm input beam (25W, 589 nm CW) to a
steerable ∅300 mm output beam. TNO has recently successfully completed acceptance testing of the four
units, showing compliance to the challenging requirements on output wavefront quality, thermally induced
defocus under operational conditions, absolute pointing accuracy and polarization extinction ratio (PER).
TNO applied its corrective polishing in combination with the NANOMEFOS measurement machine to
produce the ∅380 mm aspherical output lens, resulting in 20 nm rms output wavefront quality. The thermal
behaviour of the system has been analyzed by combining optical, lumped mass and FE analyses. A design that
is passively athermalized over a large temperature range as well as under the influence of thermal gradients
has been developed. Extensive thermal testing has shown a thermally induced defocus of less than 0.15 waves
under the operational conditions of 0-15°C and upto -0.7°C/hr gradient. A custom tip-tilt mechanism was
designed to steer the output beam over a 4.8 arcmin radius, with less than 0.1" (3σ) accuracy at 1 Hz update
rate. The PER was also measured under operational (thermal and tilt) conditions and demonstrated to be well
above 99%. This paper describes the design, modelling and analysis, and the test results of these instruments.
Aspherical and freeform optical elements have a large potential in reducing optical aberrations and to reduce the number
of elements in complex high performance optical systems. However, manufacturing a single piece or a small series of
aspherical and freeform optics has for long been limited by the lack of flexible metrology tools. With the cooperative
development of the NANOMEFOS metrology tool by TNO, TU/e and VSL, we are able to measure the form of aspheres
and freeforms up to 500 mm in diameter with an accuracy better than 10 nm rms. This development opened the
possibility to exploit a number of iterative, corrective manufacturing chains in which manufacturing technologies such as
Single Point Diamond Turning, freeform grinding, deterministic polishing and classical polishing are combined in an
iterative loop with metrology tools to measure form deviation (like CMM, LVDT contact measurement, interferometry
and NANOMEFOS).
This paper discusses the potentials, limitations and differences of iterative manufacturing chains used by TNO in the
manufacturing of high performance optics for astronomical purposes such as the anufacturing of the L2 of the Optical
Tube Assembly of the four laser-guide star facility of the ESO VLT, Manufacturing of Aluminium freeforms mirrors for
the SCUBA-2 instrument. Based on these results we will give an outlook into the new challenges and solutions in
manufacturing high-precision optics.
TNO is developing the Optical Tube Assemblies (OTAs) for the ESO VLT Four Laser Guide Star Facility. The OTAs
are Galilean 20x beam expanders, expanding a (see manuscript)15 mm input beam to a steerable (see manuscript)300 mm output beam with a
wavefront quality requirement of 50 nm rms. The allowed defocus under the influence of the changing environmental air
temperature (0-15°C, -0.7°C/hr gradient) is only 0.2 waves. An integrated model of the thermal behavior has been made,
combining optical, thermal lumped mass and FE analyses. This paper describes the athermal design and testing of the
system.
For the ESO Very Large Telescope, TNO is making four Optical Tube Assemblies for the Four Laser Guide Star
Facility. Each OTA is a large 20x Galilean beam expander, which expands a Ø15 mm, 25W CW 589 nm input laser
beam to a steerable Ø300 mm output. The L2 lens is a Ø380 conical convex lens with a radius of curvature of 637 mm
and conic constant k = -0.4776.
This paper describes the flexible manufacturing technique that TNO applies to make these kind of optics. With the
combination of deterministic polishing and the NANOMEFOS measurement machine, these optics can be manufactured
quickly and efficiently, without the need for a dedicated test setup. Final performance testing of the OTA validates all the
intermediate steps in the flexible process value chain.
One of the critical elements in the Four Laser Guide Star Facility (4LGSF) for the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) is
the Optical Tube Assembly (OTA), consisting of a stable 20x laser beam expander and an active tip/tilt mirror, the Field
Selector Mechanism (FSM). This paper describes the design and performance testing of the FSM. The driving
requirement for the FSM is its large stroke of ±6.1 mrad, in combination with less than 1.5 μrad RMS absolute accuracy.
The FSM design consists of a Zerodur mirror, bonded to a membrane spring and strut combination to allow only tip and
tilt. Two spindle drives actuate the mirror, using a stiffness based transmission to increase resolution. Absolute accuracy
is achieved with two differential inductive sensor pairs. A prototype of the FSM is realized to optimize the control
configuration and measure its performance. Friction in the spindle drive is overcome by creating a local velocity control
loop between the spindle drives and the shaft encoders. Accuracy is achieved by using a cascaded low bandwidth control
loop with feedback from the inductive sensors. The pointing jitter and settling time of the FSM are measured with an
autocollimator. The system performance meets the strict requirements, and is ready to be implemented in the first OTA.
TNO is developing the Optical Tube Asssemblies (OTAs) for the ESO VLT Four Laser Guide Star Facility. The OTAs
are Galilean 20x beam expanders, expanding a Ø15 mm input beam to a steerable Ø300 mm output beam with a
wavefront quality requirement of 50 nm rms. The allowed defocus under the influence of the changing environmental air
temperature (0-15°C, -0.7°C/hr gradient) is only 0.2 waves. The thermal behaviour of the system has been analyzed by
combining optical, lumped mass and FE analyses. A design that is passively athermalized over a large temperature range
as well as under the influence of thermal gradients has been developed. Extensive thermal testing has shown the system
performs as required. This paper describes the design and test results.
Applying aspherical and freeform optics in high-end optical systems can improve system performance while decreasing
the system mass, size and number of required components. The NANOMEFOS measurement machine is capable of
universal non-contact and fast measurement of aspherical and freeform optics up to ∅500 mm, with an uncertainty of 30
nm (2σ). In this machine, the surface is placed on a continuously rotating air bearing spindle, while a specially developed
optical probe is positioned over it by a motion system. A separate metrology system measures the probe and product
position relative to a metrology frame.
The prototype realization, including custom electronics and software, has been completed. The noise level at standstill is
0.88 nm rms. A reference flat was measured with 13 μm and 0.73 mm tilt. Both measurements show an rms flatness of
about 8 nm rms, which correspond to the NMi measurement. A hemisphere has also been measured up to 50° slope, and
placed 0.2 mm eccentric on the spindle. These measurements reproduce to about 5 nm rms. Calibration and software are
currently being improved and the machine is applied in TNO aspherical and freeform optics production.
A new universal non-contact measurement machine design for measuring free-form optics with 30 nm expanded uncertainty is presented. In the cylindrical machine concept, an optical probe with 5 mm range is positioned over the surface by a motion system. Due to a 2nd order error effect when measuring smoothly curved surfaces, only 6 position measurement errors are critical (nanometer level). A separate metrology system directly measures these critical errors of the probe and the product relative to a metrology frame, circumventing most stage errors.
An uncertainty estimation has been performed for the presented design, including a calibration uncertainty estimation and a dynamic analysis. Machine dynamics certainly cause relative motion between probe and product, but due to the non-contact nature of the measurement and the short metrology loop, these motions do not cause significant measurement errors. The resulting shape measurement error for aspheres up to medium free-forms is between 24 and 37 nm, and 30 - 85 nm for medium to heavily free-form surfaces. The suitability of the proposed design is herewith confirmed. A detailed design and a prototype of the machine are currently being developed.
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