OPTICAL-GLASS POLISHING BY CONTROLLED LASER SURFACE-HEAT TREATMENT

It is shown that optical surfaces traditionally ground in conventional glasses with high coefficients of thermal expansion may be polished b y irradiation with a space- and time-controlled uniform CO2 laser beam . Comparisons of a theoretical simulation model of the laser-driven he ating process with the experimental results allow us to determine the conditions for successful and reliable use of this technique. The tech nique can be applied indiscriminately to preheated samples made of dif ferent glasses, with any topography, and, of any size in a limited ran ge that depends only on the available laser power.