1. Lapping and polishing
Substrates are precision lapped and polished to control flatness and surface quality — the foundation for coating, lithography and inspection.
2. Optical coating
Reflective or anti-reflective coatings are applied to match the optical path of transmissive or reflective encoders and make the most of the available light.
3. Photolithographic patterning
Graduations are formed on glass or metal by photolithography: Cr coating, photoresist coating, exposure, development and etching. Compared with mechanical scribing, lithography gives cleaner line edges, more uniform pitch and higher light/dark contrast — the key to high-resolution discs.
- Incremental and absolute multi-track patterns
- Sharp line edges, high contrast
- Uniform pitch for clean interpolation
4. Precision laser machining
- Laser OD cutting — small heat-affected zone and low edge chipping for stable edge quality.
- Laser bore machining — mounting bore with controlled position accuracy.
5. Machine-vision inspection
An automated machine-vision system checks graduations and surface defects. Critical items are checked on every disc:
- Graduation integrity and pitch
- Surface defects — scratches, spots, chips
- Automatic measurement of critical dimensions
Facility
| Cleanroom | Class 10–10,000 |
| Site / workshop | about 6,000 m² / about 2,500 m² |
| Capacity | about 30,000 discs per day (all product lines) |
| Inspection equipment | AOI, vision measuring machine, optical density testing |
| Equipment list | [TBD: main lithography / laser / AOI equipment models] |
Process photos and video: [TBD: photos/video of lithography, laser cutting and AOI]