This grant is for partial support of the 1992 Surface Roughness and Scattering Topical Meeting, Tucson, AZ, June 1-3, 1992. This is the first such meeting to be sponsored by the Optical Society of America; its purpose is to bring together a diverse group of researchers, both experimentalists and theorists, to discuss their work in the area of surface roughness and scattering. The meeting will be held concurrently with the Topical Conference on Interference Coatings, and will include a joint session to discuss roughness and scattering in optical coatings. New fabrication techniques will be discussed, such as methods for achieving supersmooth surface finish and precision grinding to achieve final shape and finish, which are critical requirements for mirrors uses in the vacuum ultraviolet and x-ray spectral regions. Characterization techniques needed to measure shape, surface finish characteristics, chemical composition and other properties will be discussed, where emphasis will be on development of new instrument designs for specialized measurements. This will provide opportunities for interactions between instrument designers, manufacturers and users. One such example that will be discussed is the atomic force microscope and its application to surfaces. A specialized panel will be held to discuss requirements for statistical analysis of surfaces for various industries needs such as in semiconductor, optical and other commercial industries, including automobiles, that rely on high quality surface finishes.
