A method of fabricating or preparing an optical component, such as a mirror, using an amorphous oxide coated substrate is presented. An amorphous oxide coating is applied to an optical substrate. An assessment of surface roughness of the coated surface is performed. The coated surface is polished based on the assessment. Initial assessments can be conducted and polishing can be performed based on those initial assessments prior to applying the coating to better prepare the surface for the coating. Each assessment can assess the surface's Mid-Spatial Frequency Roughness (MSFR), High-Spatial Frequency Roughness (HSFR), or both. The performing of the assessments, polishing and/or coating can be computer-controlled. This process is ideal in the fabrication of an optical component formed from a substrate with a near-zero coefficient of thermal expansion. An optical component fabricated in this manner is also presented.

Claims data not available