Thin optic constraint

The success of using thin substrates in various fields has urged researchers to further study the possibilities of improving the technology for future applications. For example, the high surface-area-to-weight ratio and strength of sheet glass allow flat-panel display technology to result in high-definition televisions that can be hung on walls like paintings. Sheet glass is also the prime candidate for grazing-incidence foil-optic X-ray telescopes, such as the segmented mirror approach considered for the NASA Constellation X mission, where cost limitations necessitate lightweight substrates. The effects of different parameters present during the metrology of thin optics, such as gravity, frictional and thermal forces, are identified and analyzed. These forces alter the optic's surface topography by tens of microns depending on how the optics are manipulated and constrained. This renders metrology and thus surface shaping process results inconclusive. A metrology truss utilizing monolithic flexures to kinematically constrain thin optics during metrology is designed. This device mitigates the effects of the forces mentioned above that are induced on the thin sheet while being mechanically constrained, thus significantly improving the repeatability of the optic surface map measurements. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.