Surface Finish Improvement in MEMS Deformable Mirrors for High Contrast Imaging

This proposal aims to make fundamental progress in one of NASAs core objectives: to explore Earth-like exo-planets using space-based Coronagraphs that null starlight speckles using deformable mirrors (DMs), enabling planet detection. One NASA-identified technology gap is the need for compact, ultraprecise, multi-thousand actuator DMs with surface topography errors of less than 1nm RMS. Boston Micromachines Corporation is a leading producer of such DMs, which have been used in space-based applications and NASA Coronagraph test beds. However, their surface quality is currently limited to ~5nm-rms by topographic print-through on the mirror surface. BMC proposes a modified manufacturing process developed in Phase I research to eliminate print-through. The new process will lead to production of DMs with surface figure errors measuring 1nm-rms that will fill this technology gap for space-based coronagraphs as proposed for future NASA missions, namely the Habitable Worlds Observatory. This proposal aims to make fundamental progress in one of NASA’s core objectives: to explore Earth-like exo-planets using space-based Coronagraphs that null starlight speckles using deformable mirrors (DMs), enabling planet detection. One NASA-identified technology gap is the need for compact, ultraprecise, multi-thousand actuator DMs with surface topography errors of less than 1nm RMS. Boston Micromachines Corporation is a leading producer of such DMs, which have been used in space-based applications and NASA Coronagraph test beds. However, their surface quality is currently limited to ~5nm-rms by topographic print-through on the mirror surface. BMC proposes a modified manufacturing process developed in Phase I research to eliminate print-through. The new process will lead to production of DMs with surface figure errors measuring 1nm-rms that will fill this technology gap for space-based coronagraphs as proposed for future NASA missions, namely the Habitable Worlds Observatory. The main objective of the Phase II project is to produce 2040-actuator MEMS DMs with better than 1nm RMS surface topography errors, by eliminating print-through artifacts in the surface-micromachining manufacturing process. This will be achieved by implementing and improving upon innovative developments and discoveries made in the Phase I effort. The new processes will include a modification to the deposition process of the sacrificial materials to eliminate sub-surface voids that contribute to the surface topography, and a modified polysilicon polishing process to remove any remaining topography that results from processes and anneals performed after polishing of that sacrificial layer. The research will involve a short-loop batch manufacturing process to optimize deposition and polishing parameters. Subsequently, the plan is to use the new processes at a MEMS foundry to produce fully functional 2040-actuator DMs in a batch process. The resulting ultra-smooth DM will then be characterized quantitatively to evaluate yield, topography, electromechanical performance, and reliability.

Deformable mirrors with reduced high spatial frequency topography have a few astronomical NASA commercial applications. There are a number of mission concepts and testbeds that require the wavefront control provided by the proposed high actuator count deformable mirrors.  These include the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) mission concept and the High Contrast Imaging Testbed 2 (HCIT2), currently at NASA JPL. Ground-based astronomy: The planned Extremely Large Telescopes  such as the Giant Magellan Telescope and such as the Thirty Meter Telescope and the European ELT. Space surveillance and optical communications: Funded by Department of Defense, these have classified agendas. Microscopy: Modalities include multi-photon fluorescence and localization microscopy such as (STED, STORM, PALM and MINFLUX).

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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