Slumped glass optics development with pressure assistance

B. Salmaso; S. Basso; M. Civitani; M. Ghigo; J. Hołyszko; D. Spiga; G. Vecchi; G. Pareschi

doi:10.1117/12.2232273

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19 July 2016 Slumped glass optics development with pressure assistance

B. Salmaso, S. Basso, M. Civitani, M. Ghigo, J. Hołyszko, D. Spiga, G. Vecchi, G. Pareschi

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Proceedings Volume 9905, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray; 990523 (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2232273
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

Thin glass mirrors are a viable solution to build future X-ray telescopes with high angular resolution and large collecting area. This approach is very attractive for the optics implementation of future X-ray astronomy projects like the X-ray Surveyor Missions in USA, the XTP mission in China and the FORCE mission in Japan (all this projects could have an European participation). In the case of the X-ray Surveyor Mission, where a sub-arcsec angular resolution is requested, the use of actuators or post correction with sputtering deposition is envisaged. The hot slumping assisted by pressure is an innovative technology developed in our laboratories to replicate a mould figure. Our hot slumping process is based on thin substrates of Eagle XG glass to be thermally formed on Zerodur K20 moulds. This technology is coupled with an integration process able to damp low frequency errors. A continuous improvement in the reduction of the mid-frequency errors led to slumped glass foils with a potential angular resolution evaluated from the metrological data of a few arcsec. High frequency errors have been for a long time a critical point of our technology. In particular, the pressure assistance was leading to a partial replication of the mould micro-roughness, causing a non-negligible contribution to the Point Spread Function (PSF), in the incidence angle and X-ray energy range of operation. Therefore, we developed a new process to further reduce the micro-roughness of slumped glass foils, making now the technology attractive also for telescopes sensitive at higher X-ray energies. This paper provides the latest status of our research.

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B. Salmaso, S. Basso, M. Civitani, M. Ghigo, J. Hołyszko, D. Spiga, G. Vecchi, and G. Pareschi "Slumped glass optics development with pressure assistance", Proc. SPIE 9905, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 990523 (19 July 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2232273

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