New process revolutionizing the manufacture of CaF2 aspheres

Just in time for Optatec in Frankfurt/Main, asphericon presented its latest research results in the manufacture of aspheres made from CaF2. An optimized manufacturing process makes it possible to achieve shape accuracies of up to 60nm (peak to valley) while also keeping surface roughness in the subnanometer range. The new technique will be marketed in the future under the name asphericon Ångström Polish, and is being used in customer-specific projects from now on.

 
“The combination of extreme surface precision and the lowest roughness on such a challenging material represents an extraordinary milestone, even considering the usually high asphericon level,” reports CEO Sven R. Kiontke. “The first successfully completed projects and feedback from our customers give us a very good feeling that we have set a new standard on the market here.”

 
The new processing technique for elements with a diameter of up to 420mm is rounded off with full-surface interferometric measurements without using CGHs. The first projects are currently underway in which the asphericon Ångström Polish is even being used without any problems for large series of up to 1,000 pieces with slightly reduced shape accuracies.