MERATE (LC) – Bachelor/Master – Technological thesis – Valuation of the potentialities of the micro-roughness characterization via replica approach

In the development of next generation telescopes, the quality of optical surfaces in terms of micro-roughnes is an important parameter for determining their performance and it is constantly monitored during the manufacturing process. In the case of very large or non-movable optics, portable instruments are used as they can be placed directly on the surface but, even in this case, the complex geometry does not always make this approach possible. An extremely efficient alternative could be the replica approach, which consists in acquiring imprints on the surface with special pastes and to characterize those with normal stand-alone instruments.

The aim of this thesis is the systematic characterization of this measurement process: samples of different materials and surface quality will be measured at different stages of the manufacturing process with the standard method and the replication method, in order to optimize the process and provide a complete overview on its advantages and effectiveness.

[Image Credit: INAF-OAB]