Next-generation soft X-ray missions, such as the Lynx X-ray observatory, are being proposed to increase the effective area of Chandra while keeping sub-arcsecond imaging resolution. Low-voltage thin-film actuators based on electroactive polymers can address the need for adjustable mirror control in future X-ray missions such as Lynx. Polymers can produce high strains at low voltages and correct the deformations that submillimeter-thick mirror shells will experience in future X-ray missions. Fabrication of polymer-based thin films is a low-cost, scalable technology that can easily be translated to production by industrial partners. With processing temperatures below 140^oC, electroactive polymer films can be deposited on glass mirror substrates without risk of introducing additional slumping errors. We will present metrology results on prototype actuators based on micrometer-scale PVDF-TrFE polymer films deposited on glass substrates.

Date Published: 9 September 2019
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 11119, Optics for EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Astronomy IX, 1111919 (9 September 2019); doi: 10.1117/12.2529994

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 11119:
Optics for EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Astronomy IX
Stephen L. O'Dell; Giovanni Pareschi, Editor(s)