Diamond turning of optical crystals

Diamond turning (DT) has proven to be a cost effective optical fabrication technique for both aspherical and spherical/flat figures when precise geometrical tolerances are important. We are interested in the DT of crystals for several reasons. DT has been very effective to insure requisite accurate geometrical orientation of optical surfaces to crystalline axes for frequency conversion applications. Also, DT can achieve figure up to the edge of the crystal. Another key DT benefit is enhanced laser damage threshold, which we feel in part is due to the freedom of the surface from polishing impurities. Several important issues for diamond turning optical crystals are the tool wear, associated surface finish, and laser damage properties. We have found that careful selection and control of diamond turning parameters can yield production techniques for crystals previously considered incompatible with diamond turning. 8 refs., 2 tabs.