Further investigations on fixed abrasive diamond pellets used for diminishing mid-spatial frequency errors of optical mirrors

As further application investigations on fixed abrasive diamond pellets (FADPs), this work exhibits their potential capability for diminishing mid-spatial frequency errors (MSFEs, i.e., periodic small structure) of optical surfaces. Benefitting from its high surficial rigidness, the FADPs tool has a natural smoothing effect to periodic small errors. Compared with the previous design, this proposed new tool employs more compliance to aspherical surfaces due to the pellets being mutually separated and bonded on a steel plate with elastic back of silica rubber adhesive. Moreover, a unicursal Peano-like path is presented for improving MSFEs, which can enhance the multidirectionality and uniformity of the tool's motion. Experiments were conducted to validate the effectiveness of FADPs for diminishing MSFEs. In the lapping of a Φ = 420 mm Zerodur paraboloid workpiece, the grinding ripples were quickly diminished (210 min) by both visual inspection and profile metrology, as well as the power spectrum density (PSD) analysis, RMS was reduced from 4.35 to 0.55 μm. In the smoothing of a Φ = 101 mm fused silica work-piece, MSFEs were obviously improved from the inspection of surface form maps, interferometric fringe patterns, and PSD analysis. The mid-spatial frequency RMS was diminished from 0.017/λ to 0.014/λ (λ = 632.8 nm).