Abstract: Optical components, such as optical semi-isolators, are placed in a fixture that exposes at least a portion of the mounting surface of each optical component when a plasma or ion beam is directed at one side of the fixture, while shielding sensitive surfaces of the optical components (e.g., an optical element mounted within the frame of the optical component) from direct exposure to the plasma or ion beam. Exposure to the plasma or ion beam removes contaminants (e.g., metal oxide) that form on the mounting surface during the fabrication of the optical components when the optical element is mounted within its frame using glass solder in a heated oxygenated environment (e.g., air). By removing enough of the contaminants, the plasma or ion beam cleaning step produces optical components that can be reliably mounted onto substrates, such as the ceramic substrates used in encapsulated laser packages, using flux-less auto-bonding techniques.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for polishing a rotationally symmetric object such as a glass ball lens. The apparatus includes first and second plates for securing a plurality of glass ball lenses therebetween. The plates are secured to one another and the entire apparatus is pressed against a polishing pad in order to flatten a portion of the surface of the lenses. The apparatus also serves to maintain the orientation of the rotationally symmetric objects, so that they may be easily operated upon by future processing steps.