Collaborative Research: Manufacturing of Complex Lenses for Thermal Imaging, Night Vision and Surveillance Systems

超精密机器利用单晶金刚石工具来制造透镜（光学器件），其尺寸精度为人类头发直径的一小部分（约为一米的千万分之一）。 新的超精密加工技术可以制造几乎任意形状的透镜（光学器件）：自由曲面光学器件。 这种自由使透镜设计师能够以全新的方式思考。 超精密加工作为自由曲面光学的关键技术之一，有望在光学革命中发挥重要作用。 该技术的一个主要应用领域是制造用于热成像和监视、热成像和夜视系统（红外成像）的镜头。该奖项支持自由红外（热）光学器件的成本效益制造所需的基础研究。 虽然直接影响领域是红外成像，但该研究在对美国经济至关重要的许多行业领域有更广泛的应用，包括太阳能、医疗保健、生物医学、航空航天和汽车。 这项研究跨越了制造、机械工程、材料科学和光学科学等学科。多学科的方法将有助于扩大在研究和积极影响工程教育的代表性不足的群体的参与。文献中的报告给出了许多轶事的例子，脆性材料，可加工的金刚石铣削（“金刚石铣削”），但通常不被认为是“金刚石车削”。 差异可能是由于切割过程的中断或非稳态性质。 本研究的目的是测试的假设，当金刚石铣削脆性材料，表面和亚表面的特性不仅取决于几何参数在金刚石车削，但也对动态非稳态参数，如在切削时间和动态变化的芯片厚度。 来自夏洛特夏洛特和俄克拉荷马州州立大学的研究人员将设计和构建一个简化的铣削实验，该实验能够隔离和测量不同几何形状的材料的响应，从典型的铣削到高速纳米压痕。 表面和次表面特性将用原子力显微镜和卢瑟福背散射光谱法等技术进行测量。 这项工作的目标将是用单晶锗和红外透明玻璃制造的红外（IR）光学器件。 研究结果不仅可以提高目标材料的生产率，而且还为扩大光学和其他应用中“金刚石可加工”脆性材料的范围提供了科学依据。

Ultra-precision machines utilize single crystal diamond tools to manufacture lenses (optics) with dimensional accuracy that is on the order of a small fraction of the diameter of a human hair (approximately one ten-millionth of one meter). New ultra-precision machine technology enables the manufacture of lenses (optics) of nearly arbitrary shape: freeform optics. This freedom allows lens designers to think in entirely new ways. As one of the enabling technologies for freeform optics, ultra-precision machining is poised to play a major role in an optical revolution. A prime application area of this technology is the manufacture of lenses for thermal imaging and surveillance, thermal imaging and night vision systems (infrared imaging). This award supports fundamental research needed for the cost effective manufacture of freeform infrared (thermal) optics. While the immediate impact area is infrared imaging, the research has broader application to many industry sectors critical to the U.S. economy including solar energy, healthcare, biomedical, aerospace, and automotive. This research crosses the disciplines of manufacturing, mechanical engineering, materials science and optical science. The multi-disciplinary approach will help broaden participation of underrepresented groups in research and positively impact engineering education.Reports in the literature give numerous anecdotal examples of brittle materials that are machinable by diamond milling ("diamond millable") but are not generally considered "diamond turnable". The difference may be due to the interrupted or non-steady state nature of the cutting process. The objective of this research is to test the hypothesis that when diamond milling brittle materials, the characteristics of the surface and subsurface depends not only on the geometric parameters as in diamond turning, but also on the dynamic non-steady-state parameters such as the time-in-cut and the dynamically changing chip thickness. Researchers from UNC Charlotte and Oklahoma State University will design and construct a simplified milling experiment with the capability to isolate and measure the response of materials in different geometries ranging from those typical to milling to high-speed nano-indentation. The surface and subsurface characteristics will be measured with techniques ranging from atomic force microscopy to Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry. The effort will target infrared (IR) optics manufactured in single crystal germanium and IR-transparent glass. Research results will not only enable more productive machining of the targeted materials, but also provide a scientific basis for expanding the range of "diamond millable" brittle materials for optical and other applications.