CVC silicon carbide high-performance optical systems

William F. Fischer III; Colby A. Foss Jr.

doi:10.1117/12.557002

14 October 2004 CVC silicon carbide high-performance optical systems

William F. Fischer III, Colby A. Foss Jr.

Proceedings Volume 5523, Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering V; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.557002
Event: Optical Science and Technology, the SPIE 49th Annual Meeting, 2004, Denver, Colorado, United States

Abstract

The demand for high performance lightweight mirrors has never been greater. The coming years will require lighter and higher performance mirrors and in greater numbers than is currently available. Applications include both ground and space based telescopes, surveillance, navigation, guidance, and tracking and control systems. For instance, the total requirement for US government sponsored systems alone is projected to be greater than 200 m²/year¹. Given that the total current global production capacity is on the order of 50 m²/year¹, the need and opportunity to rapidly produce high quality optics is readily apparent. Key areas of concern for all these programs are not only the mission critical optical performance metrics, but also the ability to meet the timeline for deployment. As such, any potential reduction in the long lead times for manufactured optical systems and components is critical. The associated improvements with such advancements would lead to reductions in schedule and acquisition cost, as well as increased performance. Trex’s patented CVC SiC process is capable of rapidly producing high performance SiC optics for any optical system. This paper will summarize the CVC SiC production process and the current optical performance levels, as well as future areas of work.

Citation Download Citation

William F. Fischer III and Colby A. Foss Jr. "CVC silicon carbide high-performance optical systems", Proc. SPIE 5523, Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering V, (14 October 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.557002

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available