German R&D quality inspection technology can be used to test high power lasers

[China Instrument Network Instrument Development] The application of optical systems is mainly in the manufacturing industry. Due to the need for focusing (ray-guided) lenses, current applications in medical or aerospace technology are often limited. Because the new pulsed laser source produces radiation intensity that exceeds conventional glass lens and array devices.

Alternative optical materials such as quartz glass or diamonds provide better transmission performance and are more resistant to high radiation intensity and mechanical environmental influences. However, it is difficult to process these materials, and most of the quality inspection of free-form lenses can only rely on sampling.

The German Fraunhofer Institute of Manufacturing Technology (IPT) recently stated that it will undertake the "Digital Photon Production" research subproject "MaGeoOptik" funded by the German Ministry of Teaching and Research to study how to make demanding quartz glass or diamond focusing lenses possible. The production cost is reduced and the quality is higher, thus opening up new and bigger optical product markets. This lens is mainly used for high power lasers.

The research and development content is divided into three parts: The first is the development of high-precision molds for quartz glass lenses. So far, precision optics have been produced mainly through grinding and polishing techniques, but they can also be made in complicated geometries using stamping processes using temperatures up to 1400°C. The core of the "MaGeoOptik" project is to study the properties of this high-temperature glass and incorporate new mold replacement materials such as silicon carbide or boron nitride ceramics and glassy carbon.

The second is to develop a new diamond lens polishing control program. At present, the manufacturing of single-crystal diamond optical elements can only be performed through a grinding process. Because of its structural characteristics, this extremely hard material is difficult to be modified, and therefore, the abrasive tools are worn out during processing. R&D personnel plan to develop new application models and develop corresponding axis control software solutions, which will make diamond shots with complex geometric shapes faster, less costly, and more adaptable to the commercial market.

The third is to establish a 100% non-destructive testing method for ultra-precision free-form lenses. This method will be a new high-precision optical measurement system for detecting the characteristics of lenses made of quartz glass or diamond. Compared with the existing touch method, this method can increase the measurement speed by six to ten times. In addition, this method can be used directly at the production site and can be integrated into an automated production process.

The research results of this project can be used not only for testing high-power lasers and other new optical materials for future applications, but also for industrial applications.

(Original Title: German R&D Focus Lens Manufacturing and Quality Inspection Technologies)