STUDY ON THE SURFACE QUALITY OF A DIAMOND-TURNED OXYGEN-FREE HIGH-CONDUCTANCE COPPER REFLECTOR USED IN A HIGH-POWER CO2-LASER

When using the single-point diamond-turning (SPDT) technique to produc e oxygen-free high-conductance (OFHC) copper reflector, it is found th at surface quality, in terms of microroughness, reflectivity, laser da mage threshold, residual stress, etc., has a close relation with the m icrostructure and the processing sequence of the material. In addition , the uniformity of the crystal grains and the heat-treatment processe s largely affect the microroughness and the residual stress of the fin ished surface. Finally, an optimized processing method before diamond turning is given to obtain the best surface quality. (C) 1997 Society oi Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.