Super-polished Freeforms Optical Systems (SFOS) for industry and nuclear fusion

该提案面临着制造挑战，这些挑战限制了复杂（“自由形态”）光学表面正在进行的革命，这些革命有望实现彻底的性能改进，但元件数量更少。我们主要致力于解决全球范围内缺乏纳米级精确、超光滑自由形状的能力，这些自由形状i）可以承受高激光功率，ii）满足其他应用中出现的挑战，特别是下一代半导体光刻。我们以激光聚变（美国国家点火装置，NIF）为例，这项技术几乎可以提供无限的能量，但需要彻底的简化-其中一个关键是自由曲面光学。因此，该项目面临的关键社会需求，包括。可持续制造、大数据和“绿色”能源。我们的工业/研究联盟拥有解决这一问题的专业知识和设施，开发出独特的商业制造解决方案。在知识产权保护之后，项目成果将被广泛传播。在此过程中，我们的目标是：（i）在未来5年内占领全球最佳制造和服务市场的4%（24亿美元），这些市场将需要转向自由曲面，（ii）为7000家英国公司建立新的供应链机会，（iii）为英国的光学自由曲面设计和制造创造一个新的具有全球竞争力的创新生态系统。

This Proposal confronts manufacturing challenges that constrict the on-going revolution in complex ('freeform') optical surfaces, these promising radical performance-improvements, yet with fewer components. We focus primarily on resolving the lack of worldwide capability for nano-scale-accurate, super-smooth freeforms that i) can survive high laser-powers, and ii) meet emerging challenges in other applications, especially next-generation semiconductor photolithography. We take laser-fusion (US National Ignition Facility, NIF) as an example, the technology promising almost limitless energy, but requiring gross simplification -- one of the keys is free-form optics. The project thereby confronts key societal needs incl. sustainable manufacture, Big Data and 'green' energy. Our industry/research consortium has the expertise and facilities to tackle this head on, developing a unique commercial manufacturing solution. After IP protection, project outputs will then be widely disseminated. In doing so, our ambitions are to: (i) capture 4% ($2.4Bn) of the global optimal manufacturing and services market that will need to move to freeforms in the next 5 years, and (ii) establish a new supply chain opportunity for 7000 UK companies and (iii) create a new, globally competitive innovation ecosystem for optical freeform design and manufacture in the United Kingdom.