Optical Surfaces has announced that it has received an order from the Diamond Light Source synchrotron in Didcot, UK to supply high precision optical components, including a spherical convex mirror and an on-axis parabolic mirror. These mirrors will form key components for transporting all the available flux from the Diamond Synchrotron Diagnostic beamline due to go live in March 2011.
The Diamond Light Source is the UK's national synchrotron facility. Located in South Oxfordshire, it generates brilliant beams of light, from infrared to X-rays, which are used in a wide range of applications, from structural biology through to fundamental physics and chemistry.
Cyrille Thomas, senior scientist at Diamond's diagnostic group, commented: 'Our overall project goal was to improve the existing Diamond Diagnostics Beamline to provide more of the available flux over a larger bandwidth, from 400-800nm to 250-800nm. The new design will produce an expected increase in flux of the order of 14, and the coating should improve it a further factor 2 to 5. This improvement in performance requires an improved control and alignment system, but the gain in power is worth it because it extends our measurement range in particular at low stored current for beam dynamics studies.'
Using proprietary production techniques, Optical Surfaces' skilled craftsmen have produced a concave on-axis parabolic mirror with a surface accuracy better than λ/13 PV, and a convex spherical mirror with a surface accuracy better than λ/20 PV. The excellent surface accuracy achieved during manufacturing together with the exceptional high reflectivity coatings will enable Diamond to achieve the high optical performance and efficiency required by their application. The optics were manufactured in Zerodur and coated using a special type high performance UV-silver coating suitable for high reflectivity (R>98 per cent) throughout the wavelength range between 350-800nm.
