2025 HEL Optics Metrology Workshop // Call for Presentations

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS

– Deadline Extended –

The 2025 HEL Optics Metrology Workshop solicits presentations that focus on improving optical component metrology processes and technologies to help transition defense HEL weapons systems from prototypes to deployed systems. The workshop will be composed of oral presentations addressing the topics below, along with a keynote address and panel sessions.

Submission Instructions

Focus Areas

Overarching Focus Areas

The overarching focus is improving the capabilities, efficiency, consistency, and cost of HEL optics metrology, from substrate generation, to surface figuring, to coating, while decreasing program risk.

Examples of presentation types that would address this focus include the following.

• Lessons learned on previous programs
• Identifying areas where improvement or risk reduction is needed
• Methods to significantly improve the current state-of-the-art in the near term
• Methods to improve the communications and consistency of results between organizations
• Methods to improve workforce development and recruitment

DoD Needs

These presentations will focus on identifying and understanding DoDs needs related to HEL optic metrology along with discussions on DoDs thoughts on how to proceed in addressing those needs.

Examples of presentation types that would address this focus include the following:

• Identifying and prioritizing the particular needs of DoD
• DoD thoughts on addressing these needs
• Current and future DoD plans and funding to address these needs
• Desired DoD timeline(s) for addressing these needs

System Level Focus Areas

These presentations will focus on system level specifications and their impact on component level specifications and verification.

Potential topics include the following:

• Drivers in system level specifications development
• Flow-down to and translation into optical component specifications and requirements
• Trade studies used to balance optical component requirements with complexity, cost, schedule, and risk while ensuring the system specifications are met
• System engineering approaches to adjust requirements if/as needed during manufacture
• Involvement of manufacturers in the processes above
• Metrology at the assembly and system level

Optical Component Metrology Focus Areas

These presentations will focus on the metrology required to verify optical components meet the requirements, including methods, instruments, uncertainties, calibrations, standards, data processing, and reporting of results. And as previously discussed, the presentations should concentrate on ways to improve the metrology process, including lessons learned, areas in need of improvement, potential improvements, improved consistency, workforce development, etc.

The optical component metrology areas of interest include the following.:

1. Substrate Quality
   1. Homogeneity
   2. Stress birefringence
   3. Defects and impurities
   4. Subsurface damage
   5. Stability (temporal, thermal)
2. Optical Surface Quality
   1. Surface figure error (pre- & post-coating, stability)
   2. Slope error
   3. Micro-roughness
   4. Scatter
   5. Scratch-dig
3. Prescription Accuracy
   1. Radius-of-curvature
   2. Conic constant
   3. Vertex/focus location relative to mechanical features
4. Coating Performance
   1. Reflectance
   2. Absorption
   3. Transmittance
   4. Scatter
   5. Total loss
   6. Stress
   7. Wavefront error impacts
   8. Laser-induced damage testing
   9. Stability versus time/environment
   10. Durability
5. Cleanliness
   1. Initial (pre- & post-coating)
   2. During/after transport (packaging)
   3. During use (methods, frequency)
   4. FOD resistant coatings (effectiveness, metrology aspects)
6. Calibration
   1. Methods
   2. SRMs/Artifacts
7. Standards
   1. Existing & needed

Collaboration Focus Areas

These presentations will focus on stimulating cooperation between the stakeholders to develop a common path forward to advance our common goals.

Potential topics include the following:

• Current means of cooperation (working groups, workshops, alliances, consortiums, etc.), including advantages and disadvantages of each
• Potential near-term additional or supplemental means of cooperation to aid productivity
• Methods for ensuring benefit to all stakeholders without compromising intellectual property

Submission Instructions

Unclassified presentations are sought at Distribution Limitations A (public release), C (US gov’t agencies & contractors only), and D (DoD & US DoD contractors only).

Please send the following presentation information to james.hadaway@uah.edu by February 14, 2025.

1. Presentation Title (descriptive, unrestricted)
2. Abstract (unrestricted, optional)
3. Presenter Name
4. Employer Name
5. Sponsoring Agency (if applicable)
6. Distribution Limitation Level

Presenters will be notified of acceptance on or before February 24, 2025. 

The nominal length of each presentation, including questions, will be 25 minutes. However, longer times may be requested. The presentations will be distributed to the attendees via DoD Safe after the workshop, with the presenter’s approval.