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Wang, Tianyi (ORCID:0000000168808194)

Publications and source records attributed to Wang, Tianyi (ORCID:0000000168808194).

Manufacturability-based optical design optimization for advanced Kirkpatrick–Baez X-ray focusing mirrors

The advanced Kirkpatrick–Baez (AKB) mirror setup is an effective and compelling solution to provide stable X-ray nano-focusing for synchrotron radiation or free-electron laser beamlines. We propose an AKB mirror design optimization approach to mitigate the difficulties associated with mirror fabrication by minimizing the total slope ranges of the four curved mirrors while achieving the expected focusing performance. In the optimization, we have considered geometry constraints to ensure the beam acceptance with the required clear aperture, the diffraction-limited focal size with the adequate numerical aperture, and the desired mirror gaps for adjustment and the necessary working distance for the sample stage. Additionally, practical constraints linked to mirror metrology and fabrication, such as mirror length limits and curvature uncertainty in measurement, are taken into account. Furthermore, progressive objective optimization eliminates the need for any initial guess, fully automating the AKB optimization process. This approach facilitates the development of an elegant Wolter-I or Wolter-III type AKB design solution that satisfies these multiple constraints. In cases where constraints cannot be simultaneously satisfied, the optimization results provide valuable insights into areas where trade-offs need to be considered. Simulations with ray tracing and wavefront propagation validate the optimized AKB design showing high tolerance to the beam incident angle.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

E-PVT: enhanced position-velocity-time scheduler for computer-controlled optical finishing with comprehensive considerations of dynamics constraints, continuity and efficiency

Deterministic computer-controlled optical finishing is an essential approach for achieving high-quality optical surfaces. Its determinism and convergence rely heavily on precise and smooth motion control to guide the machine tool over an optical surface to correct residual errors. One widely supported and smooth motion control model is position-velocity-time (PVT), which employs piecewise cubic polynomials to describe positions. Our prior research introduced a PVT-based velocity scheduling method, demonstrating sub-nanometer level convergence in ion beam figuring (IBF) processes. However, three challenges remained. Firstly, this method relies on quadratic programming, resulting in computational intensiveness for dense tool paths. Secondly, the dynamics constraints and velocity and acceleration continuities are not comprehensively considered, limiting the full potential of PVT-based control. Thirdly, no compensation mechanism existed when dynamics constraints are exceeded. In this study, in response to these challenges, we proposed the Enhanced PVT (E-PVT) method, reducing the time complexity from O ( n 3 ) to O ( n ) while fully addressing dynamics constraints and continuities. A novel compensation method utilizing particle swarm optimization was proposed to address situations where dynamics constraints might be exceeded while maintaining the overall processing efficiency. Validation through simulation and experimentation confirmed the improved performance of E-PVT.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ion Beam Figuring System for Synchrotron X-Ray Mirrors Achieving Sub-0.2-µrad and Sub-0.5-nm Root Mean Square

Abstract Optics with high-precision height and slope are increasingly desired in numerous industrial fields. For instance, Kirkpatrick–Baez (KB) mirrors play an important role in synchrotron X-ray applications. A KB system is composed of two aspherical, grazing-incidence mirrors used to focus an X-ray beam. The fabrication of KB mirrors is challenging due to the aspherical departure of the mirror surfaces from base geometries and the high-quality requirements for slope and height residuals. In this paper, we present the process of manufacturing an elliptical cylinder KB mirror using our in-house-developed ion beam figuring (IBF) and metrology technologies. First, the key aspects of figuring and finishing processes with IBF are illustrated in detail. The effect of positioning error on the convergence of the residual slope error is highlighted and compensated. Finally, inspection and cross-validation using different metrology instruments are performed and used as the final validation of the mirror. Results confirm that relative to the requested off-axis ellipse, the mirror has achieved 0.15-µrad root mean square (RMS) and 0.36-nm RMS residual slope and height errors, respectively, while maintaining the initial 0.3-nm RMS microroughness.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Hybrid height and slope figuring method for grazing-incidence reflective optics

Grazing-incidence reflective optics are commonly used in synchrotron radiation and free-electron laser facilities to transport and focus the emitted X-ray beams. To preserve the imaging capability at the diffraction limit, the fabrication of these optics requires precise control of both the residual height and slope errors. However, all the surface figuring methods are height based, lacking the explicit control of surface slopes. Although our preliminary work demonstrated a one-dimensional (1D) slope-based figuring model, its 2D extension is not straightforward. In this study, a novel 2D slope-based figuring method is proposed, which employs an alternating objective optimization on the slopes in the x - and y -directions directly. An analytical simulation revealed that the slope-based method achieved smaller residual slope errors than the height-based method, while the height-based method achieved smaller residual height errors than the slope-based method. Therefore, a hybrid height and slope figuring method was proposed to further enable explicit control of both the height and slopes according to the final mirror specifications. An experiment to finish an elliptical-cylindrical mirror using the hybrid method with ion beam figuring was then performed. Both the residual height and slope errors converged below the specified threshold values, which verified the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed ideas.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Simulation of X-ray Hartmann wavefront sensing with the Synchrotron Radiation Workshop

X-ray wavefront measurement is an important beam diagnostic tool, especially for the diffraction-limited X-ray beam. These in situ diagnostics give a better understanding of beam imperfections, and they enable feedback for possible corrections and/or optical alignment improvements. Hartmann wavefront sensing is one of the promising techniques to perform in situ X-ray wavefront measurements. In this work, a simulation tool of the X-ray Hartmann Wavefront Sensor (HWS) is developed under the Synchrotron Radiation Workshop (SRW) framework. Using this new simulation capability, one can take advantage of the full SRW package to simulate Hartmann wavefront sensing with the beam traveling from the X-ray source to the sample through different X-ray optical components. This SRW HWS simulation tool can help to optimize the wavefront sensor parameters for a specific X-ray energy range. It can also simulate an in situ wavefront measurement experiment with a particular beamline optical layout and predict the expected results of the wavefront measurement under different beamline configurations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Multi-tool optimization for computer controlled optical surfacing

With the rapid development of precision technologies, the demand of high-precision optical surfaces has drastically increased. These optical surfaces are mainly fabricated with computer controlled optical surfacing (CCOS). In a CCOS process, a target surface removal profile is achieved by scheduling the dwell time for a set of machine tools. The optimized dwell time should be positive and smooth to ensure convergence to the target while considering CNC dynamics. The total run time of each machine tool is also expected to be balanced to improve the overall processing efficiency. In the past few decades, dwell time optimization for a single machine tool has been extensively developed. While the methods are applicable to multi-tool scenarios, they fail to consider the overall contributions of multiple tools simultaneously. In this paper, we conduct a systematic study on the strategies for multi-tool dwell time optimization and propose an innovative method for simultaneously scheduling dwell time for multiple tools for the first time. First, the influential factors to the positiveness and smoothness of dwell time solutions for a single machine tool are analyzed. The compensation strategies that minimize the residual while considering the CNC dynamics limit are then proposed. Afterwards, these strategies are extended to the proposed multi-tool optimization that further balances the run time of machine tools. Finally, the superiority of each strategy is carefully studied via simulation and experiment. The experiment is performed by bonnet polishing a 60 mm × 60 mm mirror with three tools of different diameters ( i.e., 12 mm, 8 mm, and 5 mm). The figure error of the mirror is reduced from 45.42 nm to 11.18 nm root mean square in 13.28 min. Moreover, the measured polishing result well coincides with the estimation, which proves the effectiveness of the proposed method.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Universal dwell time optimization for deterministic optics fabrication

Computer-Controlled Optical Surfacing (CCOS) has been greatly developed and widely used for precision optical fabrication in the past three decades. It relies on robust dwell time solutions to determine how long the polishing tools must dwell at certain points over the surfaces to achieve the expected forms. However, as dwell time calculations are modeled as ill-posed deconvolution, it is always non-trivial to reach a reliable solution that 1) is non-negative, since CCOS systems are not capable of adding materials, 2) minimizes the residual in the clear aperture 3) minimizes the total dwell time to guarantee the stability and efficiency of CCOS processes, 4) can be flexibly adapted to different tool paths, 5) the parameter tuning of the algorithm is simple, and 6) the computational cost is reasonable. In this study, we propose a novel Universal Dwell time Optimization (UDO) model that universally satisfies these criteria. First, the matrix-based discretization of the convolutional polishing model is employed so that dwell time can be flexibly calculated for arbitrary dwell points. Second, UDO simplifies the inverse deconvolution as a forward scalar optimization for the first time, which drastically increases the solution stability and the computational efficiency. Finally, the dwell time solution is improved by a robust iterative refinement and a total dwell time reduction scheme. The superiority and general applicability of the proposed algorithm are verified on the simulations of different CCOS processes. A real application of UDO in improving a synchrotron X-ray mirror using Ion Beam Figuring (IBF) is then demonstrated. The simulation indicates that the estimated residual in the 92.3 mm × 15.7 mm CA can be reduced from 6.32 nm Root Mean Square (RMS) to 0.20 nm RMS in 3.37 min. After one IBF process, the measured residual in the CA converges to 0.19 nm RMS, which coincides with the simulation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

RISE: robust iterative surface extension for sub-nanometer X-ray mirror fabrication

Precision optics have been widely required in many advanced technological applications. X-ray mirrors, as an example, serve as the key optical components at synchrotron radiation and free electron laser facilities. They are rectangular silicon or glass substrates where a rectangular Clear Aperture (CA) needs to be polished to sub-nanometer Root Mean Squared (RMS) to keep the imaging capability of the incoming X-ray wavefront at the diffraction limit. The convolutional polishing model requires a CA to be extended with extra data, from which the dwell time is calculated via deconvolution. However, since deconvolution is very sensitive to boundary errors and noise, the existing surface extension methods can hardly fulfill the sub-nanometer requirement. On one hand, the figure errors in a CA were improperly modeled during the extension, leading to continuity issues along the boundary. On the other hand, uncorrectable high-frequency errors and noise were also extended. In this study, we propose a novel Robust Iterative Surface Extension (RISE) method that resolves these problems with a data fitting strategy. RISE models the figure errors in a CA with orthogonal polynomials and ensures that only correctable errors are fit and extended. Combined with boundary conditions, an iterative refinement of dwell time is then proposed to compensate the errors brought by the extension and deconvolution, which drastically reduces the estimated figure error residuals in a CA while the increase of total dwell time is negligible. To our best knowledge, RISE is the first data fitting-based surface extension method and is the first to optimize dwell time based on iterative extension. An experimental verification of RISE is given by fabricating two elliptic cylinders (10 mm × 80 mm CAs) starting from a sphere with a radius of curvature around 173 m using ion beam figuring. The figure errors in the two CAs greatly improved from 204.96 nm RMS and 190.28 nm RMS to 0.62 nm RMS and 0.71 nm RMS, respectively, which proves that RISE is an effective method for sub-nanometer level X-ray mirror fabrication.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗