SURFACE FINISHING FOR GLASS COMPONENTS USING A LASER
A method includes applying a laser directly to a surface of a glass substrate to smooth the surface of the glass substrate. The method can further include applying a reflective coating directly to the smoothed surface of the glass substrate. An apparatus can include a titania-silica glass substrate having a laser polished surface that is not a separate layer from the glass substrate. The apparatus can include a reflective surface applied directly to the laser polished surface.
1 . A method, comprising:
applying a laser directly to a surface of a glass substrate to smooth the surface of the glass substrate.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying a reflective coating directly to the smoothed surface of the glass substrate.
3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising optically figuring the glass substrate after applying the laser but before applying a reflective coating to ensure the dimensional accuracy of the smoothed surface before coating it.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the glass substrate is formed from ultra-low expansion glass.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the ultra-low expansion glass is titania-silica glass.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the glass substrate is a single piece.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the glass substrate is shaped to be an optical component substrate.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the glass substrate is shaped to be a mirror substrate.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein applying a laser includes doing so without altering the optical shape or characteristics of the glass substrate.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein applying a laser includes melting a surface of the glass substrate.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method includes filling in indentations in the surface.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein applying a laser includes pulsing the laser.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein applying a laser includes altering frequency of the laser pulsing.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein applying a laser includes ablating and/or vaporizing imperfections or contaminants in the surface.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein applying a laser includes removing bubbles from the surface.
16 . An apparatus, comprising:
a titania-silica glass substrate having a laser polished surface that is not a separate layer from the glass substrate.
17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a reflective surface applied directly to the laser polished surface.
18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the glass substrate is a single piece.
19 . The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the glass substrate is shaped to be an optical component substrate.
20 . The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the glass substrate is shaped to be a mirror substrate.