Fast Shaping Control Of X Ray Beams Using A Closed-Loop Adaptive Bimorph Deformable Mirror

By Simon G. Alcock, Ioana-Theodora Nistea, Vivek G. Badami, Riccardo Signorato, Matteo Fusco, Lingfei Hu, Hongchang Wang, and Kawal Sawhney.

Zygo collaborated with Diamond Light Source (DLS) in the UK to install a deformable mirror with deformation feedback provided by Zygo’s ZPS sensor system. The system was installed in the B16 Test Beamline at DLS as a proof of principle for this application.

The Problem:

There are many issues when operating a deformable mirror, one of which is drift in the resulting focal spot over time. Synchrotron deformable mirrors require accuracies in their slope to be maintained on the order of single digit nanometers. Zygo was chosen for the job because ZPS is readily able to accomplish this level of precision conveniently over a large number of measurement points.

Providing a Solution:

Operating with feedback by ZPS delivered rapid convergence on the intended focal spot in seconds. Additionally, the ZPS sensor system enabled push-button operation of the deformable mirror by a non-specialist user. Traditionally, it takes a specialist with a PhD a couple labor-intensive hours to change the state of the deformable mirror. Ease of use is important in almost any setting because it saves time, avoids mistakes, and improves results.