Application of chemical etching in the processing of of Iceland spar crystals

Abstract

Iceland spar is the main material for various kinds of optical components, which are cut from defect‑free parts of natural crystals. The quality of crystals is determined after they are cut into plates, by applying mechanical grinding and polishing to the cut surfaces. Since most crystals contain one defect or another, most of the work involved in the mechanical processing of plates is wasted. In addition, the sawing of crystals and their parts blindly (in most cases, the surface quality of the crystals does not allow even tentatively to identify defect‑free regions) leads to the loss of valuable material.

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