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

•An optical measurement system based on the light scattering method is used.•Rapid surface roughness measurement of Zr-based BMGs.•Integrated with real-time AO correction of aberrations.•Excellent correlation with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9974.•Proposed system increase the precision of manufacturing processes for BMGs in situ.

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.