In-process monitoring of grinding and polishing of optical surfaces

A new tool with which to monitor the quality (roughness and subsurface dama ge) of optical surfaces during grinding and polishing, intensity-detecting total internal reflection microscopy (iTIRM), is presented. A general descr iption of the new measurement method is given, followed by a description of the experimental in situ measurement setup. Experimental results of the me thod are presented that demonstrate that iTIRM can be used either to contro l the roughness-reduction process during production or to investigate the p rocess itself. The possibility of implementing the method in an optical wor kshop is discussed. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America. OCIS codes: 120.42 90, 120.6660, 220.4610, 220.4840, 220.5450.