Diamond Turning Enters a New Era
Single-point, diamond-turned optics, if programmed and fixtured properly, can typically be produced right off the machine at λ/4 peak to valley, with surface finish as low as 50 Å rms in bare aluminum and as low as 25 Å rms with nickel plating, enabling their use in visible and some ultraviolet applications. However, imaging at these wavelengths is limited by the significant diffractive effects of the diamond-turning grooves. For instance, a nickel-plated, diamond-turned mirror may have a...
Photonics Spectra, April 2004