Based on an unpublished revision of the standard reference in the German optics industry. Designed as a source of facts, data and definitions, it reflects state-of-the-art technology and current practices in the United States and abroad. Practical in nature, it presents optical engineers with comprehensive coverage of material, tool and design methods and testing of the final product. Easily accessible with tables, graphs and equations, it will help professionals quickly and accurately find the most suitable solutions to their optical challenges.

Covers the fundamental science of grinding and polishing by examining the chemical and mechanical interactions over many scale lengths Manufacturing next generation optics has been, and will continue to be, enablers for enhancing the performance of advanced laser, imaging, and spectroscopy systems. This book reexamines the age-old field of optical fabrication from a materials-science perspective, specifically the multiple, complex interactions between the workpiece (optic), slurry, and lap. It also describes novel characterization and fabrication techniques to improve and better understand the optical fabrication process, ultimately leading to higher quality optics with higher yield. Materials Science and Technology of Optical Fabrication is divided into two major parts. The first part describes the phenomena and corresponding process parameters affecting both the grinding and polishing processes during optical fabrication. It then relates them to the critical resulting properties of the optic (surface quality, surface figure, surface roughness, and material removal rate). The second part of the book covers a number of related topics including: developed forensic tools used to increase yield of optics with respect to surface quality (scratch/dig) and fracture loss; novel characterization and fabrication techniques used to understand/quantify the fundamental phenomena described in the first part of the book; novel and recent optical fabrication processes and their connection with the fundamental interactions; and finally, special techniques utilized to fabricate optics with high damage resistance. Focuses on the fundamentals of grinding and polishing, from a materials science viewpoint, by studying the chemical and mechanical interactions/phenomena over many scale lengths between the workpiece, slurry, and lap Explains how these phenomena affect the major characteristics of the optic workpiece—namely surface figure, surface quality, surface roughness, and material removal rate Describes methods to improve the major characteristics of the workpiece as well as improve process yield, such as through fractography and scratch forensics Covers novel characterization and fabrication techniques used to understand and quantify the fundamental phenomena of various aspects of the workpiece or fabrication process Details novel and recent optical fabrication processes and their connection with the fundamental interactions Materials Science and Technology of Optical Fabrication is an excellent guidebook for process engineers, fabrication engineers, manufacturing engineers, optical scientists, and opticians in the optical fabrication industry. It will also be helpful for students studying material science and applied optics/photonics.

Provides optical designers, shop managers, opticians, and purchasers a concise reference explaining what the designer needs to know before making final choices and how to specify the components before they are ordered. It presents how conventional fabrication proceeds for representative components, alternative and emerging methods to optical fabrication, product evaluation, and the calculations used.

Optical science and engineering affect almost every aspect of our lives. Millions of miles of optical fiber carry voice and data signals around the world. Lasers are used in surgery of the retina, kidneys, and heart. New high-efficiency light sources promise dramatic reductions in electricity consumption. Night-vision equipment and satellite surveillance are changing how wars are fought. Industry uses optical methods in everything from the production of computer chips to the construction of tunnels. Harnessing Light surveys this multitude of applications, as well as the status of the optics industry and of research and education in optics, and identifies actions that could enhance the field's contributions to society and facilitate its continued technical development.

This handbook explains principles, processes, methods, and procedures of optical engineering in a concise and practical way. It emphasizes fundamental approaches and provides useful formulas and step-by-step worked-out examples to demonstrate applications and clarify calculation methods. The book covers refractive, reflective, and diffractive optical components; lens optical devices; modern fringe pattern analysis; optical metrology; Fourier optics and optical image processing; electro-optical and acousto-optical devices; spatial and spectral filters; optical fibers and accessories; optical fabrication; and more. It includes over 2,000 tables, flow charts, graphs, schematics, drawings, photographs, and mathematical expressions.

This book covers the fundamental principles and physical phenomena behind laser-based fabrication and machining processes. It also gives an overview of their existing and potential applications. With laser machining an emerging area in various applications ranging from bulk machining in metal forming to micromachining and microstructuring, this book provides a link between advanced materials and advanced manufacturing techniques. The interdisciplinary approach of this text will help prepare students and researchers for the next generation of manufacturing.