Characterization of infrared materials EU 1269-Belgium: research results of the first year

We report on the characterization of infrared materials using a phase measuring Twyman Green interferometer at 10.6 micron. Parameters studied are refractive index, wavefront distortion and optical homogeneity. The materials which were considered are CVD diamond, germanium and zinc selenide. Residual stresses coming from the manufacturing process and thermal stresses generated by absorption of carbon-dioxide laser light were measured and modeled.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.