Analysis and removal of five-dimensional mosaicking errors in mosaic grating

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Metrology

Background:

• Grating mosaicking is crucial for creating large-aperture optical systems.
• Existing methods often struggle with precise alignment and error correction.
• Accurate mosaicking requires addressing multiple degrees of freedom in grating placement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a mathematical model for calculating five-dimensional mosaicking errors in gratings.
• To establish a method for removing these errors using adjustment mechanisms.
• To experimentally validate the model and error removal process for grating mosaicking.

Main Methods:

• Developed a mathematical model integrating grating wavefront and surface spatial relationships.
• Implemented a two-step experimental procedure for error calculation and removal.
• Utilized zeroth-order and diffraction orders for calculating specific error components.

Main Results:

• Successfully calculated and removed longitudinal offset using zeroth-order analysis.
• Determined and corrected in-plane angle, grating spacing, tip, and tilt angles using diffraction orders.
• Achieved a precisely mosaicked grating through the proposed method.

Conclusions:

• The established mathematical model accurately quantifies five-dimensional mosaicking errors.
• The experimental procedure effectively removes these errors, leading to high-quality mosaicked gratings.
• This approach offers a robust solution for advanced grating fabrication and application.