OPTIPRO SYSTEMS, LLC

SBIR PHASE II BASIC WITH OPTION

SBIR/STTR PHASE II R&D OPTIMIZED POLISHING OF CONFORMAL CERAMIC WINDOWS

200602!093393!1700!N68936!NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER !N6893606C0010 !A!N! !N! ! !20051102!20071115!067420310!067420310!067420310!N!VI MANUFACTURING, INC !6368 DEAN PKWY !ONTARIO !NY!14519!55013!117!36!ONTARIO !WAYNE !NEW YORK !+000000233000!N!N!000000749050!AC52!RDTE/WEAPONS-APPLIED RESEARCH !C9E!ALL OTHER SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT !000 !NOT DISCERNABLE !541720!E! !3! ! ! ! ! !99990909!B! ! !A! !A!U!U!2!002!K! !Z!Y!Z! ! !N!B!N!N! ! !Z! !B!A!000!C!B!N! ! ! ! !1700!N60530!0001! !

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

SBIR PHASE II - WIDE RANGE INTERFEROMETRIC PROBE

FY24 SBIR PHASE II - ELASTIC EMISSION MACHINING OF SUBSTRATES FOR EUV, OPTICAL, AND INFRARED OPTICS

E014042 PHASE II POLISHING OF X-RAY OPTICS

THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE RESEARCH UNDER SBIR TOPIC N08-029 FABRICATION OF CORRECTIVE OPTICS FOR CONFORMAL WINDOWS AND DOMES.

THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE RESEARCH UNDER SBIR TOPIC.

THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE RESEARCH

ADVANCED NANOMETER COORDINATE MEASURING MACHINE

SBIR PHASE 2 TOPIC N113-146 ENTITLED "FABRICATION OF CORRECTIVE OPTICS FOR AERODYNIC DOMES"

CHROMATIC INTERFEROMETRIC PROBE

SBIR PHASE II UNDER TOPIC N102-165 "OPTICALLY PRECISE CONFORMAL SENSOR WINDOW."

IGF::OT::IGF; SBIR PHASE II TOPIC N152-105 - METROLOGY OF VISIBLY OPAQUE, INFRARED-TRANSPARENT AERODYNAMIC DOMES, CONFORMAL WINDOWS, AND OPTICAL CORRECTOR ELEMENTS

THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE ADVANCED RESEARCH FOR SBIR 2 TOPIC N06-069

IGF::OT::IGF::SBIR 2 N152-107 MANUFACTURING OF VISIBLY TRANSPARENT LARGE CONFORMAL WINDOWS

SBIR3 TITLE, N112-144, "LOW DRAG INFRARED DOME"

IGF::OT::IGF; SBIR PHASE II BASIC TOPIC N132-122 "HIGH PRECISION SENSOR WINDOW"

THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE RESEARCH FOR SENSOR WINDOW

IGF::OT::IGF; SBIR II TOPIC N132-124 "CORRECTIVE OPTICS MANUFACTURING FOR AERODYNAMIC INFRARED DOMES AND CONFORMAL SENSOR WINDOWS"

THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE ADVANCED RESEARCH OF POLYCRYSTALLINE MISSILE DOMES

IGF::OT::IGF - THE REQUIREMENT FOR COST EFFECTIVE MANUFACTURING AND METROLOGY OF LARGE OPTICAL SURFACES IS INSTRUMENTAL FOR THE SUCCESS OF FUTURE NASA PROGRAMS SUCH AS LISA, WFIRST AND IXO(NOW NGXO). OPTIPRO'S ULTRAFORM FINISHING (UFF) IS A SUB-APERTURE COMPLIANT WHEEL AND BELT TYPE POLISHING PROCESS FOR RAPID MATERIAL REMOVAL FROM THE GROUND STATE TO A FINISHED OPTIC. THE UFF REMOVES RESIDUAL GRINDING SUB-SURFACE DAMAGE, MID SPATIAL FREQUENCY ERRORS, AND PROVIDES THE MECHANISM REQUIRED FOR SURFACE CORRECTIONS. OPTIPRO'S TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED OPTICAL MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES ALONG WITH A SUPPORT PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT AND THE PENN STATE EOC, GIVES US A VERY STRONG TEAM AND A CLEAR PATH TOWARDS SOLVING THE DIFFICULT PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH, GRINDING, POLISHING AND METROLOGY OF LARGE COMPLEX OPTICAL SURFACES. THE UFF, WITH ITS 5-6 AXIS OF MOTION PROVIDES A PLATFORM TO POLISH TRADITIONAL FLATS AND SPHERES AS WELL AS ASPHERES AND FREEFORM SHAPES. THE UFF WAS DESIGNED FOR DEEP CONCAVE SHAPES AND IT IS SUITABLE FOR FINISHING CONFORMAL OPTICS. THE PROPOSED PHASE II WILL INCLUDE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT ON UFF USING A 200 MM X 200 MM FUSED QUARTZ MANDREL TO OPTIMIZE THE PROCESS TO MEET NASA'S X-RAY OPTICAL REQUIREMENTS. GRINDING DEVELOPMENT WILL ALSO BE PERFORMED ON OPTIPRO'S ESX PLATFORMS TO MINIMIZE MATERIAL REMOVAL REQUIRED DURING POLISHING. THE PART GEOMETRY WILL BE MEASURED BY A NON CONTACT OPTICAL PROBE USING OPTIPRO'S ULTRASURF FREE-FORM MEASUREMENT SYSTEM. ONCE DEVELOPMENT IS COMPLETE, OPTIPRO WILL WORK ON THE MANDRELS THAT WILL BE SUPPLIED BY GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER TO ATTEMPT TO CORRECT THE FORM ERROR ON THOSE SURFACES. OPTIPRO WILL ALSO BUILD AND INSTALL A 6-AXIS UFF MACHINE TO NASA. THE UFF PLATFORM WILL BE USED FOR DEVELOPMENT DURING THE PHASE II EFFORT, AND INSTALLED AT NASA AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT.

THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE RESEARCH FOR SBIR TOPIC N06-069

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

CNC OPTICAL MACHINING CENTER

SBIR PHASE 1 SUB-NANOMETER CMM FOR MIRROR SURFACE METROLOGY

SBIR PHASE I - ULTRAHIGH PRECISION CTE MEASUREMENTS

SBIR PHASE I ELASTIC EMISSION MACHINING OF SUBSTRATES FOR EUV, OPTICAL, AND INFRARED OPTICS

EO14042 FY22 SBIR PHASE I WIDE RANGE CHROMATIC INTERFEROMETRIC PROBE

SBIR FY21.1 PHASE 1 TOPIC DHS211-003-0001-I, OPTIPRO SYSTEMS LLC

STTR PHASE I RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT- HYDROXIDE CATALYSIS MOLDING OPTICS FOR HIGH POWER DIRECTED ENERGY SYSTEMS

SBIR1 TOPIC N132-124 ENTITLED "CORRECTIVE OPTICS MANUFACTURING FOR AERODYNAMIC INFRARED DOMES AND CONFORMAL SENSOR WINDOWS."

SBIR PHASE 1 TOPIC N132-121 ENTITLED "AERODYNAMIC DOME MANUFACTURING COST REDUCTION".

FRIST BI-MONTHLY REPORT/PAYMENT

SBIR PHASE I N132-122 ENTITLED "HIGH PRECISION CONFORMAL SENSO WINDOW."

BI-MONTHLY REPORT/PAYMENT

IGF::OT::IGF; SBIR PHASE I TOPIC N152-105 - OPTICAL CORRECTOR ELEMENTS

IGF::OT::IGF; SBIR I TOPIC N152-107 MANUFACTURING OF VISIBLY TRANSPARENT LARGE CONFORMAL WINDOWS

SBIR POLISHING IRIDIUM COATINGS FOR ZERO-NET-STRESS

SBIR PHASE 1 TOPIC N114-144 "LOW-DRAG INFRARED DOME"

OPTIPRO SYSTEMS, INC. N112-146 N68936-12-C-0094

THE REQUIREMENT FOR COST EFFECTIVE MANUFACTURING AND METROLOGY OF LARGE OPTICAL SURFACES IS INSTRUMENTAL FOR THE SUCCESS OF FUTURE NASA PROGRAMS SUCH AS LISA, WFIRST AND IXO. OPTIPRO'S ULTRAFORM FINISHING (UFF) IS A SUB-APERTURE COMPLIANT WHEEL AND BELT TYPE POLISHING PROCESS FOR RAPID MATERIAL REMOVAL FROM THE GROUND STATE TO A FINISHED OPTIC. THE UFF REMOVES RESIDUAL GRINDING SUB-SURFACE DAMAGE, MID SPATIAL FREQUENCY ERRORS, AND PROVIDES THE MECHANISM REQUIRED FOR SURFACE CORRECTIONS. OPTIPRO'S TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED OPTICAL MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES ALONG WITH A SUPPORT PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT AND THE PENN STATE EOC, GIVES US A VERY STRONG TEAM AND A CLEAR PATH TOWARDS SOLVING THE DIFFICULT PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH, GRINDING, POLISHING AND METROLOGY OF LARGE COMPLEX OPTICAL SURFACES. THE UFF, WITH ITS 5 AXIS OF MOTION PROVIDES A PLATFORM TO POLISH TRADITIONAL FLATS AND SPHERES AS WELL AS ASPHERES AND FREEFORM SHAPES. THE UFF WAS DESIGNED FOR DEEP CONCAVE SHAPES AND IT IS SUITABLE FOR FINISHING CONFORMAL OPTICS. THE PROPOSED PHASE I WILL INCLUDE TESTING THE FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING LARGE UFF TOOLS FOR GRINDING AND POLISHING OF A SCALED DOWN FUSED QUARTZ CYLINDER (200 X 200 MM) WHICH REPRESENTS THE LARGE FORMING MANDREL MATERIAL AND GEOMETRY. GRINDING AS WELL AS POLISHING FORCES WILL BE OPTIMIZED BY USING FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS (FEA) TECHNIQUES. THE PART GEOMETRY WILL BE MEASURED BY A NON CONTACT OPTICAL PROBE USING OPTIPRO'S ULTRASURF FREE-FORM MEASUREMENT SYSTEM. WE ENVISION THAT THE WORK DONE DURING PHASE I WILL BE EXTENDED DURING PHASE II TO A LARGE TAPERED CYLINDER FORMING MANDREL OR AN ASPHERIC MIRROR SURFACE WITH INTEGRATION OF THE ULTRASURF CAPABILITIES TO THE UFF PLATFORM. CURRENTLY THE UFF AND ULTRASURF PLATFORMS ADDRESS THE FABRICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR SMALL ASPHERIC AND FREEFORM OPTICS, THIS PROPOSAL IMPLEMENTS NEW TOOLS ON THESE PLATFORMS REQUIRED FOR THE FABRICATION OF LARGE MIRRORS.

ADVANCED NANOMETER COORDINATE MEASURING MACHINE

IGF::OT::IGF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR COST EFFECTIVE MANUFACTURING AND METROLOGY OF LARGE OPTICAL SURFACES IS INSTRUMENTAL FOR THE SUCCESS OF FUTURE NASA PROGRAMS SUCH AS LISA, WFIRST AND NGXO. OUR PLAN IN THIS PHASE I EFFORT WOULD BE TO COMBINE OUR ULTRAFORM FINISHING (UFF) (A SUB-APERTURE COMPLIANT WHEEL AND BELT TYPE POLISHING PROCESS FOR RAPID MATERIAL REMOVAL FROM THE GROUND STATE TO A FINISHED OPTIC), WITH OUR NEWLY DEVELOPED ULTRASMOOTH FINISHING (USF). USF IS OUR SUB- AND MID- APERTURE CONFORMAL PAD POLISHING PROCESS CAPABLE OF LARGER AREA FINISHING AND SMOOTHING OF MID-SPATIAL FREQUENCY ERRORS. THE UFF RAPIDLY REMOVES RESIDUAL GRINDING MARKS AND SUB-SURFACE DAMAGE, WHILE PROVIDING A ROBUST SOLUTION FOR SURFACE CORRECTIONS ON THE REQUIRED X-RAY MANDRELS AND CYLINDRICAL SHELLS. OUR USF PROCESS WAS INITIALLY DEVELOPED FOR HIGH SPEED FINISHING OF HARD CERAMIC PLANO COMPONENTS AND IS NOW PRODUCING IMPRESSIVE TEST RESULTS FOR SMOOTHING OF CRITICAL ASPHERIC COMPONENTS. OPTIPRO'S TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED OPTICAL MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES, ALONG WITH OUR STRONG UNIVERSITY AND INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS, GIVES US A VERY STRONG TEAM AND A CLEAR PATH TOWARDS DEVELOPING AND COMMERCIALIZING THE PLATFORMS WHICH SOLVE THE DIFFICULT CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE FABRICATION OF THESE LARGE COMPLEX MIRRORS AND CYLINDRICAL SHELLS. THE PROPOSED PHASE I PLAN WILL INCLUDE FABRICATION, TEST AND DELIVERY OF A 0.25 METER PRECISION MIRROR. THE PART GEOMETRY WILL BE MEASURED WITH OPTIPRO'S "ULTRASURF" A NON-CONTACT FREE-FORM MEASUREMENT SYSTEM. WE ENVISION THAT THE WORK DONE DURING PHASE I WILL BE EXTENDED DURING PHASE II TO HYPERBOLIC OR ELLIPTICAL SHAPED MIRROR SURFACES WITH DIMENSIONS RANGING FROM 1 TO 2 METERS. THIS RESEARCH WILL POSITION US WITH THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO DEVELOP THE MACHINE PLATFORMS NEEDED FOR THE FABRICATION AND TEST OF THESE LARGE NASA MIRRORS, WHICH COULD ALSO BE A PHASE II DELIVERABLE.

ADVANCED OPTICAL SYSTEMS AND FABRICATION/TESTING/CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES FOR EUV/OPTICAL AND IR TELESCOPE

IGF::OT::IGF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR COST EFFECTIVE MANUFACTURING AND METROLOGY OF NORMAL INCIDENCE AND GRAZING INCIDENCE X-RAY OPTICAL SURFACES IS INSTRUMENTAL FOR THE SUCCESS OF FUTURE NASA PROGRAMS SUCH AS LISA, WFIRST, NGXO AND X-RAY SURVEYOR. OUR PLAN IN THIS PHASE I EFFORT WOULD BE TO IMPLEMENT OUR ULTRAFORM FINISHING (UFF) (A SUB-APERTURE COMPLIANT WHEEL AND BELT TYPE POLISHING PROCESS FOR RAPID MATERIAL REMOVAL FROM THE GROUND/MACHINED STATE TO A FINISHED WORK PIECE), WITH A NEW WORK PIECE ROTARY AXIS CONFIGURATION. THE UFF RAPIDLY REMOVES RESIDUAL GRINDING&CUTTER MARKS AND SUB-SURFACE DAMAGE, WHILE PROVIDING A ROBUST SOLUTION FOR SURFACE CORRECTIONS ON THE REQUIRED X-RAY MANDRELS AND CYLINDRICAL SHELLS. OUR UFF PROCESS WAS INITIALLY DEVELOPED FOR HIGH SPEED FINISHING OF HARD CERAMIC PLANO COMPONENTS AND IS NOW PRODUCING IMPRESSIVE TEST RESULTS FOR SMOOTHING OF CRITICAL ASPHERIC COMPONENTS. OPTIPRO'S TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED OPTICAL MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES, ALONG WITH OUR STRONG UNIVERSITY AND INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS, GIVES US A VERY STRONG TEAM AND A CLEAR PATH TOWARDS DEVELOPING AND COMMERCIALIZING THE PLATFORMS WHICH SOLVE THE DIFFICULT CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE FABRICATION OF THESE LARGE COMPLEX MIRRORS AND CYLINDRICAL SHELLS. THE FABRICATION OF SHELLS WITH THE ELECTROFORMING PROCESS AND GLASS REPLICATION PROCESS REQUIRE VERY ACCURATE MANDRELS. THE PROPOSED PHASE I PLAN WILL INCLUDE THE DESIGN, MANUFACTURE AND ASSEMBLY OF A PRECISION ROTARY AXIS. THE ROTARY AXIS WILL BE TESTED ON A HOST OPTIPRO UFF OPTICAL FABRICATION PLATFORM WHILE POLISHING AN ALUMINUM MANDREL. THE PART GEOMETRY WILL BE MEASURED WITH OPTIPRO'S ULTRASURF A NON-CONTACT FREE-FORM MEASUREMENT SYSTEM. WE ENVISION THAT THE WORK DONE DURING PHASE I WILL BE EXTENDED DURING PHASE II TO HYPERBOLIC OR ELLIPTICAL SHAPED MIRROR SURFACES. THIS RESEARCH WILL POSITION US WITH THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO DEVELOP THE MACHINE PLATFORMS NEEDED FOR THE FABRICATION AND TEST OF LARGE MIRRORS AND MANDRELS.

IGF::OT::IGF THE NASA SCIENCE MISSIONS DIRECTORATE SEEKS TECHNOLOGY FOR COST-EFFECTIVE HIGH-PERFORMANCE ADVANCED SPACE TELESCOPES FOR ASTROPHYSICS AND EARTH SCIENCE APPLICATIONS. THESE APPLICATIONS REQUIRE INSTRUMENTS WITH LARGE APERTURE LIGHT-WEIGHT HIGHLY REFLECTING MIRRORS AND PRECISION OPTICAL SURFACES TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS. THE HARD AND SOFT X-RAY MIRRORS HAVE STRINGENT SURFACE REQUIREMENTS. IF AWARDED A PHASE I OUR PLAN WOULD BE TO COMBINE PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF OPTIPRO'S ULTRASURF METROLOGY SYSTEM WITH NEWLY DEVELOPED SOFTWARE. OUR GOAL WOULD BE TO CREATE A ROBUST SOLUTION FOR COMBINING THE MEASUREMENT DATA OF THE MIRRORS WITH CORRECTIVE MACHINE GRINDING AND POLISHING PROCESS TOOLPATHS. THIS PROPOSAL INCLUDES THE INVESTIGATION UTILIZING NON-CONTACT PROBES ON OPTIPRO'S MACHINING PLATFORMS TO QUANTIFY THE POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR IN-SITU MIRROR MEASUREMENTS. UNDERSTANDING THESE SURFACE IRREGULARITIES AND WHAT IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES CAUSES THEM IS CRITICAL FOR IMPROVING THE CURRENT TRL'S. OPTIPRO SYSTEMS WILL DEVELOP A METROLOGY SYSTEM AND SOFTWARE, THAT WOULD PROVIDE FEEDBACK FOR MANUFACTURING THESE PRECISION MIRRORS AND INCLUDE FINAL METROLOGY MEASUREMENT OF GLOBAL FORM ERROR AND MID-SPATIAL CONTENT. COMPARISON OF INSITU AND OFF-LINE METROLOGY WILL BE KEY FOR IMPROVING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES. WE ENVISION THAT THE WORK PERFORMED IN PHASE I WOULD LEAD TO A SOFTWARE AND METROLOGY SOLUTION TO BE BUILT AND DELIVERED TO NASA IF AWARDED A PHASE II. OPTIPRO'S TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED OPTICAL MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES ALONG WITH OUR SUPPORT PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, GIVES US A VERY STRONG TEAM AND A CLEAR PATH TOWARDS SOLVING THE DIFFICULT CHALLENGES FOR MEASURING THESE LARGE COMPLEX MIRRORS AND CYLINDRICAL SHELLS. OUR GOAL IS TO PROVIDE AN INNOVATIVE AND COMPLETE MANUFACTURING SOLUTION FOR THE COMPANIES THAT ARE FABRICATING THESE OPTICAL COMPONENTS FOR NASA.

DUE TO ITS HIGH ELASTIC MODULUS, LOW DENSITY, LOW THERMAL EXPANSION, AND HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, SILICON CARBIDE IS AN IDEAL MATERIAL FOR MANY DEMANDING SPACE APPLICATIONS. EXAMPLES INCLUDE: LIGHTWEIGHT FREEFORM MIRRORS AND STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS FOR GROUND/SPACE-BASED IMAGING SYSTEMS. THE ABILITY TO PRINT NEAR-NET SHAPES IN SILICON CARBIDE WILL INCREASE DESIGN FREEDOM AND REDUCE PRODUCTION COST/TIME. THIS RESEARCH WILL THEREFORE HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT FOR SPACE EXPLORATION. THIS DEVELOPMENT EFFORT WILL GENERATE NEW KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF SILICON CARBIDE AND ENABLE THE PRODUCTION OF SILICON CARBIDE MIRRORS. UNLIKE EXISTING PROCESSES, SUCH AS HOT PRESSING, SLIP CASTING, OR POLYMER BINDING, THE NEW APPROACH TO BE STUDIED DOES NOT RELY ON: 1) HIGH TEMPERATURES/PRESSURES WITHIN A MOLD; OR 2) A POLYMER BINDER THAT SERVES AS THE PRELIMINARY SUPPORT STRUCTURE UNTIL IT IS REMOVED BY SINTERING. RATHER, SODIUM HYDROXIDE WILL BE APPLIED TO SILICON CARBIDE POWDER IN A POWDER BED, LIQUID BINDER-JETTING PROCESS. THE SODIUM HYDROXIDE WILL OXIDIZE THE SILICON CARBIDE TO FORM AN AMORPHOUS SILICA LAYER. WHEN HEAT IS ADDED, THIS AMORPHOUS LAYER WILL CRYSTALLIZE TO FORM A NETWORK OF CONNECTING RODS AND PLATES BETWEEN THE ADJACENT SILICON CARBIDE GRAINS THROUGH SECONDARY CRYSTAL GROWTH. THIS CRYSTALLINE SILICA NETWORK WILL SERVE TO REDUCE THE POROSITY WHILE INCREASING THE DENSITY AND STRENGTH. THIS REPRESENTS A TRANSFORMATIVE STEP FORWARD IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING THAT IS APPLICABLE NOT ONLY TO SILICON CARBIDE, BUT CAN ALSO BE EXTENDED TO OTHER MATERIAL SYSTEMS. THE SUPPORTING OXIDATION AND CRYSTAL GROWTH MODELING EFFORTS WILL ENABLE A DETERMINISTIC APPROACH TO PROCESS PARAMETER SELECTION.

CHROMATIC INTERFEROMETRIC PROBE