Silicon Carbide Mirror
Silicon carbide (SiC) is an exceptionally lightweight yet strong material commonly found in space telescope mirrors. In this article we’ll uncover its fascinating science! Manufacturing large optical class SiC aspheric mirrors presents several key challenges, including casting complexity, accuracy and efficiency of aspheric fabrication, print-through effects, precision measurements, stress and denseness issues with the cladding process, self-weight deflection decoupling issues and self-weight deflection decoupling issues. CIOMP created a processing chain to deterministically fabricate a 4.03m RB-SiC mirror. Lightweight Silicon Carbide (SiC) makes an excellent material for lightweight mirrors used in high-speed scanning systems, helping them reach faster scan rates while increasing productivity. Thanks to its superior strength and thermal stability, …