Recent Advances in Optical Manufacturing and Processing

Dear Colleagues,

Precision and ultra-precision optics, such as lenses and mirrors, are crucial in a huge range of applications, including laser physics, astronomy, remote sensing from space, the photolithography of semiconductor chips, joint and cranial implants, turbine blades, security and defense, as well as many other consumer electronics. Mass-produced optics are particularly used in autonomous electric vehicles, requiring cameras, sensors, and advanced lighting. Future energy from laser fusion may require huge numbers of optics, with repeated refurbishment due to laser damage.

Today, advanced manufactuing tenologies confront the ever-increasing global demand for precision optics, the shortage of skilled people to make them, the revolution in complex surfaces (including aspherics and freeforms), as well as the complexity of materials and consumables. The demand for higher resolution, greater accuracy, and larger size has driven developments within the cutting-edge optics manufacturing process. The fabrication of high-precision optical surfaces has undergone a revolution in recent years.

There has been considerable progress in the advanced manufacturing of optical surfaces since the introduction of computer-numerical-controlled (CNC) polishing machines. This Special Issue aims to present original state-of-the-art research articles centred around recent advanced developments in optical manufacturing and processing, including, but not limited to, the following:

• bonnet polishing;
• magnetorheological finishing (MRF);
• ion beam figuring (IBF);
• fluid jet polishing (FJP);
• abrasive jet polishing (AJP);
• chemomechanical polishing (CMP);
• shape adaptive grinding (SAG);
• robotic polishing (RP);
• single-point diamond turning (SPDT);
• plasma jet finishing (PJF);
• plasma chemical vaporization processing (PCVP);
• reactive atom plasma technology (RAPT);
• atmospheric pressure plasma processing (APPP).

Dr. Hongyu Li
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• ultra-precision surface
• optical manufacturing
• polishing
• aspherics
• freeforms