Ion Beam Figuring for Precision Optical Surface Correction

What Is Ion Beam Figuring?

Ion Beam Figuring (IBF) is an advanced precision finishing technology used to achieve highly accurate surface profiles on high value optical components, including spheres, aspheres, and freeform optics. By locally sputtering atoms from the surface, IBF delivers ultra fine corrections after mechanical polishing, making it the preferred final step for producing state-of-the-art mirrors and lenses.

The Challenge

Producing flawless optical surfaces requires eliminating the last nanometers of error without introducing new defects. However, IBF users often face three critical challenges:

• Avoiding surface & subsurface damage: Inadequate control of beam size, shape, or energy can unintentionally roughen or damage the surface.
• Preventing contamination: Beam limiting grids or apertures can sputter material into the beam path, depositing impurities on the optic.
• Ensuring beam stability: Sources based on hot filaments suffer from drift, limited lifetime, and instability, compromising removal accuracy.

These issues threaten process reliability, yield, and the stringent optical performance required by scientific, industrial, and semiconductor applications.

Our Unique Solution

CAMECA delivers the best in class approach to Ion Beam Figuring through its ECR based ion source technology and advanced ion optics engineering:

Unmatched Beam Parameter Flexibility

Our ECR plasma source allows precise tuning of beam size, shape, and energy—giving operators full control to remove surface errors while preserving underlying material integrity.

A Contamination Free Process
Our sources are designed to operate without grids or beam limiting apertures in the ion path, eliminating the risk of sputtered contaminants redepositing on the processed surface.

Exceptional Beam Stability & Reliability

ECR plasma sources do not rely on hot filaments. The result:

• inherently stable beam output
• long term reliability
• repeatable material removal profiles

This makes them ideal for the most demanding IBF environments.