Popis: |
We present the design, fabrication and test results for a dichroic mirror, which was primarily developed for the SPICA Coronagraph Instrument (SCI), but is potentially useful for various types of astronomical instrument. The dichroic mirror is designed to reflect near- and mid-infrared but to transmit visible light. Two designs, one with 3 layers and one with 5 layers on BK7 glass substrates, are presented. The 3-layer design, consisting of Ag and ZnS, is simpler, and the 5-layer design, consisting of Ag and TiO2 is expected to have better performance. Tape tests, evaluation of the surface figure, and measurements of the reflectivity and transmittance were carried out at ambient temperature in air. The reflectivity obtained from measurements made on mirrors with 5 layers were < 80 % for wavelengths, λ, from 1.2 to 22 μm and < 90 % for λ from 1.8 to 20 μm. The transmittance obtained from measurements made on mirrors with 5 layers were < 70 % for λ between 0.4 and 0.8 μm. Optical ghosting is estimated to be smaller than 10-4 at λ < 1.5 μm. A protective coating for preventing corrosion was applied and its influence on the reflectivity and transmittance evaluated. A study examining the trade-offs imposed by various configurations for obtaining a telescope pointing correction signal was also undertaken. |