Study on IR laser smoothing of ground surface on fused silica

Abstract

The application of fused silica in the field of High power laser requires that the formation of sub-surface damage be reduced in the process of grinding and polishing. Subsurface damage is unavoidable in traditional processing methods. Laser smoothing, as a non-contact polishing method, has attracted more and more attention in the surface treatment of fused silica. Laser smoothing is capable of producing smooth surface without incurring serious mechanical defects. Thus it is employed to polish fused silica in the hope of reducing mechanical defects on the optical components. In this paper, aiming at the ground surface of fused silica, the characteristics of mid-far infrared laser treatment and modification are studied. The surface smoothness under different laser power are studied, and the optimal laser power and action time for laser smoothing are obtained. This technology can reduce the ground surface roughness from above 100 nanometer to nanometer.