With its unique advantages, aspherical optics is gradually becoming a key force driving the development of modern optical technology. From high-end astronomical telescopes to our daily use of cell phone cameras, aspherical optics are everywhere, which can effectively reduce aberration, improve the image quality of the optical system, and provide us with a clearer and broader view of the field of vision. Yighen Ultra Precision is a leader in the industry and has deep technical and practical experience in processing and inspecting aspheric optical components. Let's learn more about Yighen Ultra Precision's achievements in this field.
Aspheric Optics Processing
Single Point Diamond Turning
For instance, when crafting high-precision aspherical lenses from optical resin, Yighen Ultra Precision's engineers meticulously fine-tune the machine tool's parameters, such as cutting speed, feed, and depth of cut, in line with the lens's design parameters. This precise control allows for the creation of a microstructured lens surface with exceptionally high surface quality and shape accuracy. The surface roughness of optical resin aspherical lenses processed by single-point diamond turning can reach the nanometer level, meeting the stringent requirements of high-end optical systems.
Grinding and Polishing
Yighen Ultra Precision has a well-established process and state-of-the-art equipment for grinding and polishing aspheric optical components made of hard materials such as glass.
Firstly, the glass blanks are roughly and finely ground in the grinding stage using different grits of abrasive materials. In rough grinding, larger grit abrasives are used to quickly remove excess material from the glass blanks to approximate the approximate shape of an asphere; in fine grinding, finer grit abrasives are used to further improve surface flatness and precision in preparation for the subsequent polishing process.
Moving on to the polishing stage, Yighen Ultra Precision employs advanced polishing equipment and solutions to finely polish the ground glass surface through the dual action of physics and chemistry. During the polishing process, parameters such as pressure, time and temperature are precisely controlled to ensure that the roughness of the glass surface is further reduced to optical-grade surface quality. Ground and polished glass aspheric optical elements can meet the high optical performance requirements of applications such as astronomical telescope lenses and high-end microscope objective lenses.
Moulding Process
Yighen Ultra Precision boasts extensive experience in moulding, a highly efficient process for the mass production of aspheric optical components. The process begins with the creation of a high-precision aspheric mould, and Yighen Ultra Precision utilizes advanced mould machining technology to ensure the mould's surface quality and shape accuracy meet the stringent requirements of aspheric optics production.
The heated and softened optical material is then placed into the mould cavity. Under high temperature and pressure, the optical material fills the mould cavity and cools and solidifies, resulting in an aspheric optical element that conforms to the shape of the mould. To ensure the quality of the moulding process, Yighen Ultra Precision strictly controls the process parameters such as temperature, pressure, and time during the moulding process to ensure that the optical material flows and fills the mould uniformly to avoid defects such as bubbles and deformation. The moulding process has high production efficiency and can ensure the product's consistency and stability, which is suitable for consumer electronics, automotive lighting, and other areas with high cost and yield requirements.
Aspheric optical components detection methods
(i) Interferometry
Interferometry is an important means for Yighen Ultra Precision to detect the face shape accuracy of aspheric optical elements. The company uses advanced interferometers, such as the Zygo non-contact interferometer, to detect the surface of aspheric optical elements using the principle of light interference.
When a beam of light hits the surface of an aspheric optical element, the reflected light and the reference light interfere with each other, forming interference fringes. By analyzing information such as the shape, spacing and contrast of the interference fringes, the face shape error of the surface of the aspheric optical element can be accurately calculated. Interferometry has the advantages of high precision, wide measurement range, non-contact measurement, etc., and it is capable of fast and accurate inspection of various sizes and materials of aspheric optical elements.
(ii) Coordinate Measurement
Coordinate measurement is also one of the common inspection methods for aspheric optical components used by Yighen Ultra Precision. The company uses advanced equipment such as the Carl Zeiss Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) and Panasonic Ultra Precision 3D Measuring Instrument (UPDMI) to accurately measure the geometry and dimensions of aspheric optical elements in three-dimensional space.
During the measurement process, the coordinate information of multiple points on the surface is acquired through contact or non-contact scanning between the probe and the surface of the aspheric optical element. Then, these coordinate data are processed and analyzed using professional measurement software to calculate the shape error, size deviation and other parameters of the aspheric optical element. The coordinate measurement method can comprehensively detect the overall shape of aspheric optical components, providing reliable data support for product quality control.
(iii) Surface roughness measurement method
Surface roughness is one of the important indexes to measure the surface quality of aspherical optical elements, and Yighen Ultra Precision adopts various methods to measure it. Among them, the atomic force microscope (AFM) is commonly used for measuring surface roughness. AFM scans the surface of an aspheric optical element by a tiny probe and measures the interaction force between the probe and the surface, thus obtaining the surface's microscopic topographic information.
In addition, the company uses equipment such as profilometers to measure the surface roughness of aspheric optical elements. The profilometer calculates surface roughness parameters, such as arithmetic average roughness (Ra) and maximum contour height (Rz), by measuring the surface's contour shape. Accurately measuring surface roughness ensures that the surface quality of aspheric optical elements meets the design requirements and maintains optical performance stability.
Yighen Ultra Precision's Technical Advantages and Application Areas
Yighen Ultra Precision has several technical advantages in processing and inspecting aspheric optical components. Its team of specialists in optics, materials, mechanics and other fields has profound theoretical knowledge and rich practical experience and is capable of solving various technical problems encountered in this field.
Moreover, Yighen Ultra Precision is committed to continuous improvement. The company invests in research and development, actively exploring new processing techniques and inspection methods. This commitment ensures that Yighen Ultra Precision remains at the forefront of the industry, constantly enhancing its technical capabilities and product quality.
Yighen Ultra Precision's aspheric optical elements are widely used in many fields. In the aerospace field, it provides high-precision aspheric optical components for satellite optical systems, missile guidance systems, etc., to ensure their reliable operation in complex environments; in the medical field, it is used in the manufacturing of imaging systems for high-end medical equipment, such as surgical microscopes, endoscopes, etc., to improve the accuracy of medical diagnosis and treatment. In semiconductor manufacturing, it provides key aspheric optical components for photolithography machines and other equipment to Promote semiconductor technology development.
It is a complex and precise process. Yighen Ultra Precision has established an excellent reputation in this field with its advanced processes, reliable inspection methods, strong technical advantages and wide range of applications. In the future, Yighen Ultra Precision will continue to uphold the spirit of innovation, constantly improve its technical strength, contribute more wisdom and strength to developing aspheric optical components, and promote the continuous progress of the optical field.
