Optical Coherence Tomography Enabling Non Destructive Metrology of Layered Polymeric GRIN Material

Abstract

Gradient Refractive INdex (GRIN) optical components have historically fallen short of theoretical expectations. A recent breakthrough is the manufacturing of nanolayered spherical GRIN (S-GRIN) polymer optical elements, where the construction method yields refractive index gradients that exceed 0.08. Here we report on the application of optical coherence tomography (OCT), including micron-class axial and lateral resolution advances, as effective, innovative methods for performing nondestructive diagnostic metrology on S-GRIN. We show that OCT can be used to visualize and quantify characteristics of the material throughout the manufacturing process. Specifically, internal film structure may be revealed and data are processed to extract sub-surface profiles of each internal film of the material to quantify 3D film thickness and homogeneity. The technique provides direct feedback into the fabrication process directed at optimizing the quality of the nanolayered S-GRIN polymer optical components.