History
Our Legacy of Innovation in Precision Optics
QED Technologies was founded on the breakthrough of Magnetorheological Finishing (MRF)—a technology that transformed optical polishing from an artisan process into a precise, repeatable, and deterministic method. What began as early research in Belarus evolved through collaboration with the University of Rochester into a commercial success, driven by a shared vision to modernize optics manufacturing. Over the years, QED Technologies has continued to expand its capabilities with advanced metrology systems like SSI and NMF, becoming a global leader in precision optics solutions.
The History and Evolution of MRF
MRF is a deterministic optical polishing technology that has transformed precision optics manufacturing. Capable of achieving figure accuracy better than 50 nanometers and surface roughness below 1 nanometer, MRF enables optics manufacturers to produce complex optical surfaces with exceptional repeatability, precision, and process control.
Early Innovation in Magnetorheological Fluids
The origins of MRF trace back to the late 1980s at the Luikov Institute of Heat and Mass Transfer in Minsk, Belarus. There, Dr. William Kordonski, inventor of MRF, led pioneering research into magnetorheological (MR) fluids. These fluids consist of magnetic iron particles suspended in a liquid carrier that stiffen in the presence of a magnetic field, allowing their mechanical properties to be precisely controlled.
Initially, Kordonski and his team explored MR fluids for applications such as vibration damping, actuators, and robotics. However, Kordonski recognized that the controllable stiffness of MR fluids could be applied to optical polishing, replacing traditional polishing laps with a dynamically shaped, compliant polishing tool capable of precise material removal.
The Birth of Magnetorheological Finishing
By the early 1990s, Dr. Kordonski, working with collaborators including Leonid Gleb at the Byelorussian Optical Mechanical Organization, demonstrated the first working MRF polishing machines. These early systems used a rotating trough of MR fluid within a magnetic field to polish optical surfaces in a subaperture, localized manner.
This subaperture approach enabled selective material removal, allowing surface figure errors to be corrected deterministically rather than relying on full-aperture polishing and operator intuition. This marked a significant departure from conventional optical finishing methods and laid the foundation for modern deterministic polishing.
Technology Transfer and Industry Vision
In the early 1990s, MRF gained the attention of Lowell Mintz, an American entrepreneur and investor. Through his efforts to explore technology transfer opportunities following the opening of the Soviet Union, Mintz recognized the potential of MRF and sought expert evaluation in the United States.
Mintz was referred to Harvey Pollicove, founder and director of the Center for Optics Manufacturing (COM) at the University of Rochester. Pollicove, a former Eastman Kodak optics manufacturing leader, immediately saw the promise of MRF as a means to automate and modernize optical fabrication.
University of Rochester and Deterministic Control
At COM, Professor Steve Jacobs of the University of Rochester’s Institute of Optics played a pivotal role in validating MRF. After visiting Minsk in 1992, Jacobs confirmed that MRF could reliably polish optical surfaces and documented its capabilities in a widely influential technical report.
Building on this validation, COM researchers focused on transforming MRF into a deterministic manufacturing process. Professor Greg Forbes and his graduate student Paul Dumas developed the mathematical algorithms and software that linked surface metrology data to precise MRF tool paths and dwell times. This work enabled predictable figure correction and dramatically improved convergence, repeatability, and efficiency.
At the same time, Don Golini, who managed manufacturing science at COM, led efforts to mature the process, stabilize MR fluids, and integrate machine control, metrology, and polishing into a production-ready workflow.
The Founding of QED Technologies
Recognizing the commercial potential of MRF, Don Golini founded QED Technologies in 1996 in Rochester, New York, with Lowell Mintz serving as the company’s initial investor and partner. Rochester’s long-standing reputation as a global center of excellence for optics and photonics, combined with its close ties to the University of Rochester, made it the ideal location for commercializing MRF.
Early members of the QED team included William Kordonski, who led continued development of MR fluids and hardware; Paul Dumas, who drove software and process development; and Steve Hogan, who led mechanical systems design and operations. Together, this team delivered the first commercial MRF machines in the late 1990s, bringing deterministic polishing into optics manufacturing facilities worldwide.
Expanding Capabilities Through Metrology
As MRF enabled increasingly complex optical geometries, QED identified the need for advanced metrology solutions. This led to the development of Subaperture Stitching Interferometry (SSI™) and later Aspheric Stitching Interferometry (ASI™), extending measurement capabilities beyond the limits of conventional interferometers.
These innovations further strengthened the closed-loop manufacturing approach, tightly coupling measurement and material removal to improve yield, accuracy, and throughput across a wide range of optical applications.
A Lasting Impact on Precision Optics Manufacturing
What began as a scientific breakthrough led by William Kordonski evolved into an industry-defining technology through the combined efforts of visionary researchers, engineers, and entrepreneurs. Today, Magnetorheological Finishing is a cornerstone of high-precision optics manufacturing, enabling advanced systems used in aerospace, defense, semiconductor lithography, astronomy, and photonics.
QED Technologies continues to build on this legacy, advancing deterministic polishing and metrology solutions that push the boundaries of optical performance.