SBIR-STTR Award

Lightweight meter class aspheres had been limited to serial glass production prior to the advantages in cost, schedule, and production that were enabled using hybrid SiC and replicated nanolaminate technologies. The proposed program will extend the hybrid mirror advantages to all optical substrate materials. Recent actuated hybrid mirror efforts have focused on areal density, agile fabrication, areal density, natural frequency, and mirror print-through mitigation, and results indicate that highly functional regions exist for both passive and active mirrors fabricated from a host of optical materials. For those applications in a more benign environment, other substrate materials are both viable and can greatly benefit from the hybrid mirror approach. It is our intent during the proposed program to transfer the LLNL developed nanolaminate technology to industry and also develop nanolaminate formulations compatible with the thermal expansivity of other substrate materials. Analytical models developed under the Advanced Mirror Telescope (AMT) program will be used to define both passive and active design regions using alternate substrate materials. Taking advantage of both material properties and processes that exist within the present optical infrastructure, it is our vision that replicated hybrid mirrors will be made with the material that best suits the need

Significant investment has been made in infrastructure and know-how in many optical substrate materials. Depending upon the operational environment and system performance, those shown have been used successfully in one form or another. However, lightweight meter class aspheres for extreme environments and applicatons have been limited to serial glass production. Advantages of the actuated hybrid mirror versus SOA glass are significant in terms of cost, schedule, and production. It is the intent of the proposed program to extend the hybrid mirror advantages to a range of substrate materials.

Keywords:
Nanolaminates, Replicated Mirrors, Lightweight Mirrors, Asperic Mirrors, Rapid Fabrication, Agile Replication