Laser prisms are optical components designed to manipulate laser beams by refracting, reflecting, or dispersing the light. These prisms are made from high-quality materials that can handle the precise requirements of laser light, such as minimal absorption and scattering, and they are often used to change the direction, wavelength, or shape of laser beams.
Applications:
- Laser Beam Alignment: Prisms are commonly used in laser systems for precise beam alignment and steering.
- Spectroscopy: Prisms can be used to analyze the spectral content of laser light.
- Optical Instruments: They are essential in devices like interferometers, microscopes, and laser imaging systems.
- Laser Cavities: Prisms are often integrated into the laser cavity itself to control the beam path and help in mode selection.
Key Characteristics of Laser Prisms
Beam Steering: Prisms can bend or change the direction of a laser beam by refracting light at specific angles. This makes them useful in optical systems where precise control of the beam's path is needed.
Dispersion Control: Some prisms can disperse laser light into its component wavelengths, similar to how a prism splits white light into a spectrum of colors. This is useful in applications like spectroscopy and laser tuning.
Material Quality: Laser prisms are typically made from materials like fused silica, BK7 glass, or other optical-grade materials that have low absorption at the laser wavelength to minimize power loss.
Coatings: Prisms used in laser applications often have anti-reflective (AR) coatings or other specialized coatings to reduce light loss and prevent unwanted reflections.
Types of Prisms Used with Lasers:
- Right-Angle Prisms: Used to bend light at 90-degree angles or to create a reflected image.
- Dispersing Prisms: Such as equilateral prisms, these are used to separate laser light into its constituent wavelengths.
- Beam Splitter Prisms: These prisms can divide a single laser beam into multiple beams of lower intensity.
- Dove Prisms: Used to rotate an image or beam, often found in optical systems requiring beam orientation control.
Processing Capability
| Material | BK7 or Fused Silica (Or Custom Design) |
| Dimension | 4mm ~ 80mm (Right Angle Side) |
| Angle Tolerance | ±5″ |
| Surface Quality | 10/5 |
| Surface Flatness | λ/[email protected] |
| Bevel | 0.25mm×45° |