Identifying and Characterizing Micro-machining Signatures on Freeform Surfaces Using Morphological Methods

Freeform surfaces are replacing traditional surfaces and have significantly reduced volume and weight and highly improved performance in modern complex optic systems, bio-systems and other disciplines [1]. These high-precision freeform components are enabled by state-of-the-art micro-machining technologies, compromising mechanical methods (diamond turning and polishing etc.), physical methods (laser beam and ion beam machining), and chemical methods (lithography, electro-chemical machining etc.). However, a fundamental pre-requisite to achieve the potential growth to these high-added value freeform components is to measure and characterize these components with the required accuracy such that their manufacturing
quality can be controlled. The surface topography is a fingerprint of all process stages of the
manufacturing process. Thus identifying and evaluating these topographical features on freeform surfaces left by production techniques are critically important in that they could present an indication of the manufacturing quality and offer feedback to the process control.