High throughput lightweight Hard X-ray Optics manufactured via electroforming replication process from supersmooth mandrels are the primary candidate for some of future New Hard X-ray missions. Media Lario Technologies (MLT) is the industrial enabler exploiting the electroforming technology initially applied for the ESA XMM-Newton mission and further developed in cooperation with Brera Astronomical Observatory (INAF/OAB). The current and ongoing development activities in Media Lario Technologies complement the electroforming technology with a suite of critical manufacturing and assembly of the Mirror Module Unit. In this paper, the progress on mandrels manufacturing, mirror shell replication, multilayer coating deposition, mirror module integration, and relevant metrology is reported in view of the upcoming production phase. Mandrel production is a key point in terms of performances and schedule; the results from of NiP prototype mandrels fabricated using a proprietary multistep surface finishing process are reported. The progress in the replication of ultrathin Nickel and Nickel-Cobalt substrates gold coated mirror shells is reported together with the results of MLT Magnetron Sputtering multilayer coating technology for the hard x-ray waveband and its application to W/Si. Due to the criticality of low thickness mirror handling, the integration concept has been refined and tested on prototype mechanical structures under full illumination UV vertical optical bench.

Date Published: 31 August 2009
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 7437, Optics for EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Astronomy IV, 74370W (31 August 2009); doi: 10.1117/12.828191

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7437:
Optics for EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Astronomy IV
Stephen L. O'Dell; Giovanni Pareschi, Editor(s)