OP-740x Air Spaced Etalons

Product number: SW11165

Manufacturer: LightMachinery

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Fluid Jet Polishing Technology - How Does It Work LightMachinery Info Sheet

Product information "OP-740x Air Spaced Etalons"

Fused Silica, Zerodur; Wavelength Range Customer Specified; Finesse Customer Specified; FSR Customer Specified; AR-coated; Dia. 25.4-203.2 mm; Clear Aperture 5-150 mm

LightMachinery’s OP-740x series of air spaced etalons is manufactured using the company’s patented fluid jet polishing (FJP) technology – allowing the adjustment of the etalon’s shape and flatness to within a few nanometers. OP-740x air spaced etalons are available in eight sizes with diameters from 25.4 (1”) to 203.2 mm (8”) and apertures from 5 to 150 mm. Wavelength range, finesse, free spectral range (FSR) and design details can be realized based on customer requirements.

Etalons are optically transparent, flat components with very precisely parallel reflecting surfaces. While solid etalons consist of solid plates of optical material, air spaced etalons are formed by two mirrors with an air gap between them.

One major issue with solid etalons is their instability to temperature changes, which can be unacceptable in certain applications. Air spaced etalons reduce this problem of temperature dependence by using air as the etalon medium to greatly reduce the change in refractive index with temperature.

The mirror spacing is now determined by spacers that may still be made from Fused Silica or from even more stable materials such as ULE or Zerodur. Due to their construction, air spaced etalons are significantly more complex since there are now three components involved (two end mirrors and the spacer). The outside surfaces of the end mirrors also need to be wedged and AR-coated to avoid reflections from these surfaces causing additional unwanted etalon effects.

Sometimes you need something special – if you are looking for a customized air spaced etalon that exactly meets your specific requirements, please get in touch with the AMS Technologies etalon experts. Our supplier LightMachinery is extremely experienced with specifying, designing and manufacturing custom etalons using the company’s patented fluid jet polishing (FJP) technology. We are looking forward to discussing your customized etalon solution!

Fluid jet polishing (FJP) systems use a fine stream of slurry to accurately remove nanometers of material from an optical surface. Many years of refining this computer controlled polishing technology have enabled LightMachinery to use FJP for the adjustment of the shape and flatness of optical components such as etalon mirrors to within a few nanometers as well as the production of very thin components such as wafers and thin etalons that are impossible to accurately polish using conventional technology.

Key Features:

Etalon Material: Standard Material is Fused Silica, However Zerodur May Be Specified
Wavelength Range: Customer Specified
Finesse: Customer Specified
Free Spectral Range, FSR: Customer Specified
AR-coated: Less Than 0.5% Reflection
Diameter: 25.4 to 203.2 mm
Clear Aperture: 5 to 150 mm
Resonator Surface Figure Matching: λ/100 or Better
Front Surface Figure: λ/20 or Better
Surface Quality: 10/5 or Better
Wedge: 30 arcmin (To Avoid Reflections)

Applications: Spectroscopy; Interferometers; Wavelength Measurement; Fine-structural Investigation of Spectral Lines

Manufacturer "LightMachinery"

LightMachinery is dedicated to producing the world's finest lasers, optical components and optical equipment like high-precision spectrometers. The experts at LightMachinery are veterans of the laser and optics world with many years of experience in the areas of optical design, high-power lasers, optical fabrication, laser systems, metrology, thin film coatings and custom machinery fabrication. LightMachinery is extremely experienced with specifying, designing and manufacturing custom optics components, equipment and lasers. Custom etalons, VIPAs, beamsplitters, laser optics & lenses and Michelson interferometers are available as well as custom thin film coatings, uniform thickness thin wafers (Fused Silica, Pyrex, Silicon), windows or ultra-flat substrates. Most of LightMachinery’s etalons, interferometers, custom optics and wafers are finished using the company’s patented, computer-controlled fluid jet polishing (FJP) technology. FJP sets a new standard for optical manufacturing, allowing the adjustment of the shape and flatness of optical components to within a few nanometers as well as the production of large and very thin components with less than 10 nm of thickness variation. VIPAs (Virtually Imaged Phase Array, a special type of Fabry-Perot etalon with three distinct coatings) manufactured with FJP are at the core of many of LightMachinery’s advanced spectrometer series. LightMachinery has produced components and equipment for customers throughout the world involved in space science, telecommunications, semiconductor, high-power lasers, academic research, nondestructive testing, biophotonics, electronics, pharmaceutical manufacturing and materials processing.