Research Interests

I currently lead a strategic initiative to additively manufacture optics that contain functional gradients in material properties. Optics of interest include gain media, gradient index optics, and lightweight mirrors.

I also study colloidal and interfacial phenomenon as they pertain to optical polishing and optical materials. For example, I investigate methods to prevent particle agglomeration in polishing slurries and study particle-surface interactions to better understand how to reduce adsorption onto precision optics. In addition, I work to develop and improve manufacturing and assembly processes for specialty optics for a variety of laser projects.

In previous work at the National Ignition Facility, I gained experience in the growth of microscale, single-crystalline deuterium-tritium fuel layers for inertial confinement fusion ignition experiments and experience in crystal growth process for producing large, potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystals used as optics.

Patents

1. R. Dylla-Spears, T. Baumann, E. Duoss, J. Kuntz, R. Miles, D. Nguyen, C. Spadaccini, T. Suratwala, T. Yee, C. Zhu, C. Meyers. IL-13082, "Preparing optical glass components with custom-tailored composition profiles," June 2016.
2. R Dylla-Spears, M Feit, P Miller, W Steele, T Suratwala, L Wong. IL-12647, "Method for preventing agglomeration of charged colloids without loss of surface activity," October 2012.
3. T Suratwala, W Steele, M Feit, R DesJardin, D Mason, R Dylla-Spears, L Wong, P Miller, P Geraghty, J Bude. "Apparatus and method for convergent, initial surface independent, single iteration, and rogue particle-'free' polishing of flats and spheres," December 2010.

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 2009

B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 2000

B.A., Liberal Arts / Plan II, University of Texas at Austin, 2000

1. D.T. Nguyen, C. Meyers, T.D. Yee, N.A. Dudukovic, J.F. Destino, C. Zhu, E.B. Duoss, T.F. Baumann, T. Suratwala, J. Smay, R. Dylla-Spears, “3D Printed Transparent Glass,” Adv. Mater., 2017, accepted for publication 3/23/17.
2. T. Suratwala, W. Steele, M. Feit, N. Shen, L. Wong, R. Dylla-Spears, R. Desjardin, S. Elhadj, P. Miller, “Relationship between surface –roughness and interface slurry particle spatial distribution during glass polishing,” J. Amer. Ceramics Soc., 2017, DOI: 10.1111/jace.14820
3. R. Dylla-Spears, L. Wong, N. Shen, W. Steele, J. Menapace, P. Miller, M. Feit, T. Suratwala, “Adsorption of silica colloids onto like-charged silica surfaces of different roughness,” Coll. Surf. A, 520, 85-96, 2017, DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2017.01.042
4. N. Shen, T. Suratwala, W. Steele, L. Wong, M.D. Feit, P.E. Miller, R. Dylla-Spears, R. Desjardin, "Nanoscratching of Optical Glass Surfaces Near the Elastic-Plastic Load Boundary to Mimic the Mechanics of Polishing Particles," J. Amer. Ceramics Soc., 99, 1477-1484, 2016, DOI: 10.1111/jace.14083
5. S. J. Shin, L.A. Zepeda-Ruiz, J.R.I. Lee, S.H. Baxamusa, R. Dylla-Spears, T. Suratwala, B.J. Kozioziemski, "Supercooling of Hydrogen on Template Materials to Deterministically Seed Ignition-Quality Solid Fuel Layers," Fusion Sci. & Tech., 70, 184-190, 2016.
6. J. D. Sater, F. Espinosa-Loza, B. Kozioziemski, E. R. Mapoles, R. Dylla-Spears, J. W. Pipes, C. F. Walters, Technique for Forming Solid D2 and D-T Layers for Shock Timing Experiments at the National Ignition Facility, Fusion Sci. & Tech., 70, 191-195, 2016.
7. T. Suratwala, R. Steele, L. Wong, M. Feit, P. Miller, R. Dylla-Spears, N. Shen, R. Desjardin, "Chemistry and Formation of the Bielby Layer During Polishing of Fused Silica Glass," Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 98, 2395-2402, 2015.
8. T. Suratwala, R. Steele, M. Feit, R. Dylla-Spears, R. Desjardin, D. Mason, L. Wong, P. Geraghty, P. Miller, N. Shen, "Convergent Polishing: A Simple, Rapid, Full Aperture Polishing Process of High Quality Optical Flats & Spheres," Journal of Visualized Experiments 94, e51965, doi: 10.3791/51965 , 2014.
9. R. Dylla-Spears, L. Wong, "Charged micelle halo mechanism for agglomeration reduction in metal oxide particle based polishing slurries," Coll. Surf. A, 447, 32-43, 2014.
10. S. Baxamusa, J. Field, R. Dylla-Spears, B. Kozioziemski, T. Suratwala, J. Sater, "Effects of self-heating and phase change on the thermal profile of hydrogen isotopes in confined geometries," J. Appl. Phys. 115, 124901, 2014, DOI: 10.1053/1.4867781
11. T. Suratwala, M. Feit, W. Steele, L. Wong, N. Shen, R. Dylla-Spears, R. Desjardin, D. Mason, P. Geraghty, P. Miller, S. Baxamusa, "Microscopic Removal Function and the Relationship Between Slurry Particle Size Distribution and Workpiece Roughness During Pad Polishing," Journal of the American Ceramics Society 97, 81-91, 2014, DOI: 10.1111/jace.12631
12. A. McKinnon et al. "Assembly of High-Aereal-Density Deuterium-Tritium Fuel from Indirectly Driven Cryogenic Implosions," Phys Rev Lett 108, 215005, 2012.
13. R Dylla-Spears, JE Townsend, L Jen-Jacobson, LL Sohn, and SJ Muller. "Single-molecule sequence detection via microfluidic planar extensional flow at a stagnation point." Lab on a Chip 10, 1543-1549, 2010, DOI: 10.1039/B926847B
14. R Dylla-Spears, JE Townsend, LL Sohn, L Jen-Jacobson, and SJ Muller. "Fluorescent marker for direct observation of specific dsDNA sequences." Analytical Chemistry 81, 10049-10054, 2009, DOI 10.1021/ac9019895