Abstract
Investigating the surface loss mechanism of hemispherical resonators is essential to further improve the performance of hemispherical resonant gyroscopes. Although many studies have focused on the surface loss mechanism and surface treatment process of fused silica hemispherical resonators, the bulk fabrication of high-quality factor (Q factor) hemispherical resonators is still a significant factor limiting the widely applied hemispherical resonant gyroscopes. To address this practical need, this paper first analyzes the formation mechanism of surface defects and their effect on energy loss. Then, a cyclic chemical etching method using hydrofluoric acid as an etchant is proposed to significantly improve the Q factor of the hemispherical resonator by improving the surface morphology. Finally, a surface loss model was developed based on the experimental results to reveal the mechanism of the effect of surface morphology evolution on the change of the quality factor of the hemispherical resonator. The results show that the developed etching method can significantly improve surface quality with minimal damage to the substrate. The resonator’s Q factor increases to a final value of about 2 × 107 after chemical etching, which is improved by about 20 times. The developed loss model can screen hemispherical resonators with different performances according to the change of the Q factor during the etching process. The etching technique and screening method developed in this paper is essential for bulk fabricating high-quality factor hemispherical resonators.
Published Version
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