Figured grazing incidence mirrors from reheated float glass

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Grazing incidence mirrors are crucial for focusing and manipulating light in various optical systems.
• High-throughput applications often require advanced mirror designs for efficient light collection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a new, inexpensive fabrication technique for high-throughput grazing incidence mirrors using float glass.
• To evaluate the performance of an array of these mirrors for potential use in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectroscopy.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an array of twelve grazing incidence mirrors from float glass.
• Testing the optical performance of the mirror array, including line spread function (LSF) and energy enclosure measurements.
• Integration of three-mirror arrays for one-dimensional (1-D) focusing in an EUV spectrometer.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of grazing incidence mirrors using an inexpensive technique.
• Optical measurements demonstrated a line spread function (LSF) of 6.3 arc minutes Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM).
• 90% of the energy was enclosed within 13 arc minutes, indicating good focusing capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The developed inexpensive technique yields high-performance grazing incidence mirrors suitable for demanding optical applications.
• The fabricated mirrors are effective for 1-D focusing in diffuse extreme ultraviolet spectrometers.
• This advancement offers a cost-effective solution for high-throughput optical systems in EUV spectroscopy.