Ion Beam Figuring Precision Optics: 2026 Patent Landscape
Ion Beam Figuring Precision Optics 2026
Ion beam figuring (IBF) delivers sub-nanometer RMS surface accuracy through deterministic, non-contact atomic-level sputtering. This dataset spans 22 patent records and key literature across 2008–2026, covering source engineering, path planning, and machine architecture.
What Is Ion Beam Figuring and Why Does It Matter?
Ion beam figuring (IBF) uses high-energy ions to sputter-etch optical surfaces at the atomic level, generating a stable, rotationally symmetric Gaussian removal function. Its deterministic, non-contact nature eliminates edge effects and contact stress that limit conventional sub-aperture polishing methods such as magnetorheological finishing and computer-controlled optical surfacing.
Key materials processed in this dataset include fused silica, ultra-low expansion (ULE) glass, silicon carbide (SiC), monocrystalline silicon, sapphire (C-axis orientation), and aluminum alloys. These substrates span the full range of high-performance optical applications from EUV lithography to astronomical mirror systems and high-power laser facilities.
The technology subdivides into four technical clusters in this dataset: ion source engineering (broad beam, ICP, RF gridded, low-energy pulsed), process and path planning algorithms (dwell-time computation, spiral and strip scan geometries), machine architecture (vacuum chambers, multi-axis platforms, calibration), and hybrid processes combining additive and subtractive steps.
Among the 22 patent records with identifiable jurisdictions in this dataset, China accounts for approximately 17 filings, reflecting concentration among state-sponsored institutions. NUDT leads by filing volume in retrieved records with 5 patents, followed by Changchun CAS with 3, and Shanghai CAS and Changsha Aifosi each with 2.
IBF Innovation Patterns Across Time and Technology Cluster
The retrieved dataset reveals three distinct innovation waves — early state-sponsored foundational filings (2008–2012), process refinement (2012–2019), and recent hardware and application diversification (2021–2026) — each reflecting different technical priorities and institutional actors.
Patent Count by Technology Cluster (Dataset Snapshot)
Path planning and machine architecture each account for 4–6 records in this dataset, representing the most densely patent-covered clusters, while hybrid processes and ion source engineering each cover 2–4 records.
↗ Click bars to exploreIBF Patent Filings by Innovation Wave (Dataset Snapshot)
The 2021–2026 wave shows the highest single-period filing activity in this dataset with 8 records, compared with 7 in the 2012–2019 refinement phase and 5 in the 2008–2012 foundational period.
↗ Click bars to exploreKey IBF Application Domains Documented in This Dataset
The retrieved records identify six distinct application domains for IBF, spanning space astronomy, semiconductor lithography, high-power lasers, defense infrared optics, synchrotron beamlines, and micro-optics fabrication — each imposing distinct surface figure and spatial frequency requirements.
Astronomical Mirror Optics
The Keck telescope primary mirror is cited in NUDT filings as a benchmark for large-aperture IBF capability. Germany’s NTGL IBF1500 system processes mirrors up to 1,500 mm diameter and concave surfaces with radius of curvature down to 2,250 mm, handling workpieces up to 1,000 kg. Materials include Zerodur microcrystalline glass, fused silica, silicon, SiC, and ULE.
Space & AstronomyEUV Lithography Objective Lenses
A 2022 literature record on IBF machine tool performance modeling explicitly targets EUV lithography objectives, establishing that three-axis machine tools must achieve motion accuracy better than 100 μm to meet the sub-nanometer RMS surface figure specification. Carl Zeiss is cited in NUDT patents as the benchmark commercial provider for this segment.
Semiconductor LithographyInfrared Windows & Sapphire Optics
Hubei Jiuzhiyang Infrared System Co., Ltd. filed two CN patents (2022 and 2024) targeting military/defense infrared optical windows. The 2022 patent covers a dual-pass coarse (high-energy wide-beam) and fine (low-energy narrow-beam) IBF protocol for C-cut sapphire. The 2024 patent achieves parallelism error correction to within 1.5 arcseconds using large-aperture laser interferometry combined with NC-code-driven IBF.
Defense Infrared OpticsSynchrotron & FEL Beam Optics
IBF-finished Kirkpatrick–Baez (KB) mirror systems at SPring-8 SACLA achieve focused X-ray spot sizes at 1 μm and 50 nm. Gratings for synchrotron and FEL beamlines at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin employ ion etching as part of ultra-precise grating manufacture (2018 literature). At-wavelength metrology infrastructure at Diamond Light Source, NSLS-II, and ESRF supports characterization of IBF-polished optics.
Synchrotron / XFEL OpticsLeading Patent Assignees in Ion Beam Figuring — Dataset Snapshot
In retrieved records, NUDT accounts for 5 of the 22 identified patent filings in this dataset, making it the highest-volume assignee, while Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CAS) follows with 3 filings — together representing a significant share of process and machine architecture patents in this dataset.
Top IBF Patent Assignees by Filing Count in Retrieved Records (Dataset Snapshot)
↗ Click bars to exploreNational University of Defense Technology
NUDT is the highest-volume assignee in this dataset with 5 CN patent filings spanning 2008–2014, covering spiral and path-planning methods (2008, 2010), a dual-vacuum-chamber large optical component IBF machine (2012, 2014), and hybrid material addition-removal nano-precision machining (2012). The dual-chamber machine design was developed to reduce pump-down time overhead for iterative IBF experiments on large-aperture optics.
China — CNChangchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics & Physics, CAS
Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CAS) holds 3 CN filings in this dataset, spanning 2018–2019, covering workpiece positioning error calibration and compensation methods for IBF (2018 and 2019) and a 3D printing-assisted IBF method (2019) that uses additive manufacturing to fabricate high-precision sacrificial layers for mid-to-high spatial frequency error correction. These filings address positioning error as a primary limiting factor for IBF accuracy.
China — CNFour Emerging IBF Technology Directions (2021–2026)
The most recent filings in this dataset (2021–2026) point to four convergent directions: robot-arm motion platforms, RF/ICP dual-source architectures, large-aperture parallelism correction, and low-energy pulsed IBF for atomic-layer resolution — each representing early-stage IP positions.
Six-Axis Robot Arms Replace Gantry Systems
A 2021 patent from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China introduces a six-axis articulated robot as the motion platform within a vacuum chamber, replacing conventional three- or five-axis gantry systems. This architecture enables direct IBF of aspheric and freeform optical surfaces with arbitrary surface normal orientations — a configuration that conventional gantry systems cannot achieve without complex multi-axis re-fixturing. The filing represents an early-stage IP position in robot-arm IBF machine architecture.
RF/ICP Dual-Source Broad-Beam Systems
Two 2026 filings by Mandar Achyut Marathe (WO and IN) describe a system integrating two independently tunable ICP sources with gridded extraction and a conical aperture producing a 3 mm collimated beam cross-section. The design targets both EBSD sample preparation and precision optical surface polishing in a single load-lock system, indicating cross-domain convergence between semiconductor materials analysis and precision optics finishing.
Broad-Beam IBF vs. Low-Energy Pulsed IBF (LPIB)
Click any row to explore further.
| Dimension | Broad-Beam IBF | Low-Energy Pulsed IBF (LPIB) |
|---|---|---|
| Removal Resolution | Conventional — limited by beam stability and dwell-time increments | 6.7 × 10⁻⁴ nm per pulse on monocrystalline silicon at 100 Hz / 1% duty cycle |
| Resolution Improvement | Baseline conventional IBF resolution | One to two orders of magnitude finer than conventional IBF |
| Beam Configuration | Rotationally symmetric Gaussian; beam diameter from a few mm to tens of mm; spiral or strip-raster scan paths | Pulsed low-energy ion beam; 100 Hz frequency; 1% duty cycle documented in 2021 literature |
| Process Control | Dwell-time density distribution computed by convolving removal function against surface error map | Dynamic adjustment of removal efficiency via pulse parameters without changing ion source parameters |
| Key Materials Documented | Fused silica, ULE glass, SiC, Zerodur, silicon, aluminum alloys, sapphire | Monocrystalline silicon (documented in 2021 LPIB literature record) |
| Machine Complexity | Three- to six-axis vacuum platforms; dual vacuum chamber designs for large apertures; existing commercial systems to 1,500 mm diameter | Early-stage; no commercial system scale documented in this dataset |
| IP Maturity in Dataset | Dominant cluster; filings from 2008 onward covering path planning, machine architecture, and positioning calibration | Literature-stage only in this dataset; no dedicated patent filings retrieved |
Frequently Asked Questions: Ion Beam Figuring Patents & Technology
IBF uses high-energy ions to sputter-etch optical surfaces at the atomic level. A stable, rotationally symmetric Gaussian removal function is generated and scanned across a workpiece under vacuum. The deterministic nature of the removal function — its stability, absence of edge effects, and lack of contact stress — enables sub-nanometer RMS surface figure accuracy that conventional polishing methods cannot achieve.
Materials processed in the retrieved dataset include fused silica, ultra-low expansion (ULE) glass, silicon carbide (SiC), monocrystalline silicon, sapphire (C-axis orientation), aluminum alloys, and Zerodur microcrystalline glass — reflecting requirements from EUV lithography, astronomical, laser, and infrared defense optics applications.
In retrieved records, the top assignees by filing volume are: National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) with 5 CN filings (2008–2014); Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, CAS with 3 CN filings (2018–2019); Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, CAS with 2 CN filings (2017–2019); Changsha Aifosi Technology Co., Ltd. with 2 CN filings (2022–2024); and Hubei Jiuzhiyang Infrared System Co., Ltd. with 2 CN filings (2022–2024).
The retrieved records cover: astronomical and large-aperture mirror optics (including Keck telescope benchmark and NTGL IBF1500 system up to 1,500 mm diameter); EUV lithography objective lenses requiring sub-nm RMS; high-power laser facility optics for fusion research; infrared windows and sapphire optics for defense; synchrotron and FEL beam optics including KB mirror systems at SPring-8 SACLA; and precision micro-optics fabrication using focused ion beam techniques.
Four directions are identifiable: (1) six-axis robot-arm motion platforms for freeform optics (University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, 2021); (2) RF/ICP dual-source broad-beam systems with 3 mm collimated beam output (Mandar Achyut Marathe, WO/IN, 2026); (3) large-aperture parallelism and wavefront correction for transmission optics to within 1.5 arcseconds (Hubei Jiuzhiyang, 2024); and (4) low-energy pulsed IBF achieving 6.7 × 10⁻⁴ nm single-pulse depth removal on silicon (2021 literature).
According to the content, Carl Zeiss and other Western players appear primarily as references in Chinese patents rather than as assignees in retrieved records. This likely reflects a combination of filing geography — European and US patents were not retrieved in these search results — and competitive IP protection strategies that may favor trade-secret protection over patent disclosure for core IBF process knowledge, particularly for EUV lithography optics.
Data and insights on this page are based on a limited patent and literature dataset and are for reference only. Figures may not represent the complete technology landscape.