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Fluid jet polishing is turning the world of optical fabrication upside down. Near perfect optical components can now be produced routinely using this cost effective, computer controlled technique.

• FJP-1150 Overview and brochure
• Applications
  • Transmitted wavefront error
  • Arbitrary patterns
  • Ultra flat surfaces
• Specifications
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Component Fabrication
• Free Sample Processing
• Information Request

FJP-1150
LightMachinery's fluid jet polishing system uses a fine stream of slurry to accurately remove nanometers of material. Standard fluids are available for polishing a variety of materials. In addition users may select other commercial slurries or use in-house mixtures.

A robust pumping system, developed by the LightMachinery engineering team, has almost no moving parts in contact with the slurry so that maintainance is kept to a minimum. Advanced software enables the correction of wavefront errors to achieve surfaces that are very close to perfect. The wide variety of materials that can be processed using the fluid jet system is enabling applications that were previously considered impossible or too expensive with conventional technology.

             
Download the FJP-1150 Brochure,

3 Simple Steps to Perfect Surfaces

Step 1 Load the Current Surface, this is usually done using a Zygo data file
Step 2 Load the Target Surface and Tool Profile
Step 3 System displays the predicted surface
Click the Go! button and the system will start processing

Applications

	This before and after fluid jet polishing interferogram clearly demonstrates the FJP's ability to correct transmitted wavefront errors. This process was completed in a single pass, processing on only one side, based on transmitted wavefront data from a Zygo interferometer.
	Target surface A simple .jpg, 256 x 256 of ISO (we are still very pleased about our ISO 9001 certification). The depth was set to 250nm for the text.
	Starting Surface This was already a pretty good surface, polished my our opticians to about 1/8 wave over the 2" x 2" square
	After Fluid Jet Polishing This beautiful pattern was made using the fluid jet polishing machine in the usual raster mode.
	After Fluid Jet Polishing The ISO image is polished (backwards) into the square optical component that has then been optically contacted to the lower 3" diameter holder. The visible fringes are from the air space between the surfaces.
	Target surface Another simple .jpg, 256 x 256. A constant change in color value between each segment.
	After Fluid Jet Polishing A stepped depth that gives rise to a phase mask matrix
	Air Spaced Etalon Matrix This piece was then optically contacted to a flat piece of fused silica creating an array of air spaced etalons. Each one is has a gap that is 100nm wider than its neighbor
	Conventional Flatness λ/10 Shown here a conventionally polished fused silica substrate. The wedge in the part is very good, about 50nm, less than lambda/10
	Fluid Jet Polished Flatness λ/100 After processing half of the part with fluid jet polishing. The surface flatness is reduced about 6nm peak to valley or lambda/100
	Atomic force microscope analysis of a conventionaly polished fused silica surface. The size of the area is 1.5 x 2.5 microns. Surface roughness is 1nm Rms
	Atomic force microscope analysis of a fluid jet polished fused silica surface. The size of the area is 1.5 x 2.5 microns. Surface roughness is 1nm Rms
	Micro-channels and complex patterns can also be created by combining fluid jet polishing with masking. These shallow microchannels are about 20nm deep and more than 1000nm wide (the vertical axis is greatly expanded). Applications include microfluidics and optical phase masks.

Specifications

FJP-1150F
Maximum Part Size	150 x 150mm
Motion	2 axis
Component types	Flat to long radius
Materials	fused slica, glasses, crystal, silicon, semiconductors, metals, hard materials
Fluid types	Standard optical slurries
Typical ultimate accuracy	±3nm
Typical surface roughness	1nm rms
Compatible input files	Zygo, Excel, custom
Warranty	1 year parts and labor

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What kind of slurries can I use?
A: The FJP-1150 can accept a very wide range of polishing fluids. We have developed several standard slurries that are well suited to some common material types; fused silica, BK-7, silicon and aluminum. Of course optics is still more art than science and you are also free to try out your own favourite compounds and secret mixtures. When switching from one compound to another you just need to minimize cross contamination by thoroughly cleaning your system.

Q: How does the multi-part processing work?
A: Simply take a single interferometric image of the entire collection of parts. The parts should be spaced out to allow at least a 3 mm gap in between parts. The software will automatically determine the correction required for each part to match the target surface. Load all of the parts into the FJP-1150 and press Go.

Q: What if my component material is not listed on the Slurry Selection Chart?
A: If you are polishing a material that is not listed in the Slurry Selection Chart, then you can simply send us a sample of the material for testing with a variety of slurries

Q: Can we use our own slurry?
A: Sure, many optical shops have a proprietary or favourite polishing slurry or compound that they have used for many years. We encourage our customers to try there own fluids and find a process that works for their unique requirements.

Q: Who do I call for support?
A: Our technical support team is trained to support both lasers and fluid jet systems, just call 613 749-4895 and select "technical support"

Component Fabrication
Fluid jet polishing is an enabling technology that enables LightMachinery to tackle some very complex and difficult optical fabrication tasks with confidence. In particular the ability to maintain the shape a flatness of very components with very thin aspect ratios has allowed LightMachinery to fabricate very uniform thin etalons and wafers. The ability to measure the final performance of complex assemblies such as Michelson Interferometers and then to make arbitrary surface corrections to these components is opening up a new era of astronomical device manufacture. Contact us to discuss your requirements

Free Sample Processing
Curious about the power of fluid jet? Send us a sample of your material for processing. Just contact us to arrange the details. If you want to send us a target surface profile or a map of your current surface then simply send it to us as a square file (.text, .xls, .jpg, .png) each element should represent the desired (or current) profile or thickness of the component in nanometers. You wil also need to tell us the size of the component and the material.

Fluid Jet Polishing Technology
Perhaps your application is outside the world of conventional optical polishing. We are still here to help. Fluid jet polishing is capable to smoothing and adjusting a very wide range of materials from metals to Silicon Carbide. Please contact us to discuss you application and we will be glad to work with you on finding a solution.

If your application requires truly flat smooth surfaces, uniform thickness or surfaces with arbitrary shapes then contact our staff to discuss your needs.

Information or Quote Request
Just fill out the form below to send us your quote request or click here to send us an email and you can attach a drawing.