In-process surface roughness measurement of bulk metallic glass using an adaptive optics system for aberration correction

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have received extensive attention recently due to amorphous-related extraordinary properties such as high strength, elasticity, and excellent corrosion resistance. In particular, Zr-based BMGs are recognized as a biocompatible material and surface roughness may affect many aspects of cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation. Therefore, this study presents an in-process measurement of surface roughness by combining an optical probe of laser-scattering phenomena and adaptive optics (AO) for aberration correction. Measurement results of six Zr-based BMGs samples with a roughness ranging from 0.06 to 0.98 μm demonstrate excellent correlation between the peak power and average roughness with a determination coefficient (R²) of 0.9974. The proposed adaptive-optics-assisted (AO-assisted) system is in good agreement with the stylus method, and less than 8.42% error values are obtained for average sample roughness in the range of 0.05-0.58 μm. The proposed system can be used as a rapid in-process roughness monitor/estimator to further increase the precision and stability of manufacturing processes for all classes of BMGs materials in situ.