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The mirrors of the International X-ray Observatory (IXO) consist of a large number of high quality segments delivering a spatial resolution better than 5 arcsec. A study concerning the slumping of thin glass foils for the IXO mirrors is under development in Europe, funded by ESA and led by the Brera Observatory. We are investigating two approaches, the “Direct” and “Indirect” slumping technologies, being respectively based on the use of convex and concave moulds. In the first case during the thermal cycle the optical surface of the glass is in direct contact with the mould surface, while in the second case it is the rear side of the foil which touches the master. Both approaches present pros and cons and aim of this study is also to make an assessment of both processes. The thin plates are made of D263glass produced by Schott and are 0.4 mm thick, with a reflecting area of 200 mm x 200 mm; the mould are made of Fused Silica. The adopted integration process foresees the use of reinforcing ribs for bonding together the plates and forming in that way a rigid and stiff stack of segmented mirror shells; the stack is supported by a thick backplane. During the bonding process the plates are constrained to stay in close contact with the surface of the master (i.e. the same mould used for the hot slumping process) by the application of a vacuum pump suction. In this way the spring-back deformations and low frequency errors still present on the foil profile after slumping can be corrected. In this paper we present some preliminary results achieved during the first part of the project.
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