Diamond turned master molds for bulk casting of sol-gel silica diffractive optical elements. Final report

This CRADA has combined the resources of a national laboratory and an innovative small company to investigate the production of diffractive lenses in silica glass, using diamond turned master molds. The method for producing these lenses combines the unique characteristics of the sol-gel silica replication process, pioneered by Geltech, with the state-of-the-art diamond turning expertise of the Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT). A conventional lens focuses light by using a curved surface to refract (or bend) the incoming light so that it will form an image. These lenses are usually thick glass elements with one or both surfaces shaped into convex or concave spherical shapes. Traditionally, these lenses are produced by grinding and polishing the glass to the desired shape. Light can also be focused using the phenomenon of diffraction, rather than refraction. A lens of this type uses precision microscopic surface features to bend the light so that it forms an image. The result is a lens that is thinner and lighter than its refractive counterpart. Production of diffractive lenses requires the ability to accurately produce the precision microscopic features necessary to achieve controlled diffraction. Diffractive lenses have, for the most part, been limited to infra-red applications because the manufacturing technologies available have not enabled their use at visible wavelengths. Except in limited applications, these lenses have remained laboratory curiosities, because they must be individually produced by diamond turning infra-red optical materials. Geltech`s sol-gel silica replication process offers the opportunity to mass produce diffractive lenses in high quality silica glass. These lenses can be produced by diamond turning the necessary precision microscopic surface features into master surfaces that are replicated into intermediate molds. These molds are then used to produce a batch of diffractive lenses using the sol-gel process