Figure: Showing Fizeau interferometer Testing flatness of a master plate w.r.t. stable liquid surface

Instruments developed: Fizeau interferometer, Jamin interferometer, Reversal shear interferometer, Total internal reflection microscope, Total integrated scatterometer, Reflected light microscope with Nomarski differential interference contrast (DIC), Auto collimator

Optical Workshop at RRCAT was established for fabricating optical components for different laboratories in RRCAT. It has subsequently diversified into optics instrumentation / polishing development. The main activities of the workshop are as follows

• Development on new polishing techniques
• Development of optical measuring instruments.
• Fabrication of optical components

Following fabrication /polishing techniques have been developed :

• Glass & Fused silica Optical components
• Super smooth Optical surface
• Laser rods and Amplifier disks
• Polarisation Optical components
• Crystals
• Metal mirrors

Optical Coating Facility

Thin film optical coatings plays an important part of R&D efforts by scientists working on lasers and synchrotron ration source at RRCAT. Experiments often require trying out various coatings to change the value of a specific parameter for optimization but problems aries due to the limited Shelf life of coatings & need to maintain large inventory of different types of optical components. To cater this a state of the art optical coatings plant has been installed in the Laser System Engineering Division at RRCAT.

This system is an ion assisted electron beam and sputter deposition system for multilayer optical coatings.

Components of the system,
Capabilities of the system:
Characterization facilities
Coatings Developed Recently