PRLog (Press Release) – May 09, 2011 – Quantum Coating, Inc., a leading optical coating company for the avionics and aerospace industries, has nearly completed a contract to deposit its proprietary gold coating on all reflective optics of the James Webb Space Telescope.
Since being awarded the contract in 2007, QCI has worked systematically towards a successful program conclusion, and to date, has coated more than two thirds of the telescope mirrors.
According to Ian Stevenson, Director of Coating at QCI, the James Webb Space Telescope includes a number of reflective optics. The principal assembly is the Primary Mirror, which is an array of 18 hexagons, each 1.3m across and made from light weighted beryllium (Be). There are also Secondary, Tertiary and Fine Steering mirrors.
"The JWST mirror coating program brought together several technical challenges," Stevenson reports. "Our team met the challenges head on, handling large, fragile, almost irreplaceable Be substrates; achieving near-perfect thickness uniformity over 1.3m curved surfaces; and managing film reflectance, stress and durability with the ability to survive cyogenic cycling to near absolute zero."
Stevenson emphasizes that the first two years of the contract were devoted to plant acquisition and facilities upgrades. A custom designed 96" coating chamber was built and installed in a new Class 1000 clean room environment. Investment was made in metrology for reflectance, thickness, stress and micro roughness, as well as a thermal cycling station capable of reaching 10K.
Process development and qualification continued 1086274749 my photo and wallpaperoled technology on mobile phone > into 2010, when the first flight mirrors were coated. Since then, QCI has coated one or two mirrors each month. Currently, there are only six primary hexagons and the secondary mirror still to process.
For more information about the optical coatings provided by QCI, please visit http://www.quantumcoating.com.
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