Bimorph deformable mirror with a high density of electrodes to correct for atmospheric distortions

Abstract

This paper presents a new development of small-diameter, high-spatial-resolution, semipassive bimorph deformable mirrors to be used in different imaging systems. To manufacture the small control elements, laser engraving technology is used. An ultrasonic welding technique to connect the wires to the electrodes (actuators) is applied for this kind of mirror. The initial flatness of the mirror surface equals 0.33 μm (P-V) due to the use of substrate polishing technology after gluing the glass substrate to a piezo disk. We present the main parameters of these wavefront correctors, such as the response functions of different electrodes, temporal behavior, and the ability to compensate for high-order aberrations.