Electro Optic Components
As far as we know, we are the only organisation producing large
area, thin solid Fabry-Perot etalons. These are electro-optically
tunable filters made of single crystal Lithium Niobate, a difficult
material to work with. In addition, performance is limited by
the material's inhomogeneities. We use proprietary polishing techniques,
selective deposition of coatings as well as ion beam milling to
produce etalon wafers which exhibit great finesse over large apertures.
We have also been fabricating optical flats for air spaced Fabry-Perot
interferometers since the 1960's.
You can view some performance graphs of our etalons here.
Typical Fabry-Perot Interferometer Etalon Specification
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Material: |
Lithium Niobate (Z or Y cut) |
Thickness: |
220 µm |
Diameter: |
75 mm |
Roughness: |
0.2 nm |
Finesse: |
>25 over an aperture of 60 mm |
Narrow-Band, Tunable Optical Filter
The above filter, developed by CSIRO's ACPO, is a complete spectroscopic
package with an optical performance designed to a customer's exact
specifications. The narrow passband of the filter, typically 0.02
nm at 550 nm, can be easily and efficiently tuned under computer
control. The etalon's housing also contains a temperature controller
and a thermal enclosure to ensure its stable operation under normal
operating conditions.
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Front side of an etalon
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Reverse side of an etalon
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Etalon with a control unit
Features
- Compact.
- Ready to use package.
- Large working aperture 60 mm.
- Three methods of tuning - voltage, temperature and tilt.
- Designed to accommodate readily available blocking filters.
- Computer or manual control.
- Optical performance is custom designed to your specifications.
Technical Specifications
- Fabry-Perot etalon fabricated from single crystal LiNbO3.
- Etalon thickness >= 0.2 mm.
- Typical tunability 0.4 Ang./1000 V at 550 nm.
- Temperature controlled < 0.03°C.
- Power supply ± 3000 V.
- Finesse > 25 at an aperture of 60 mm.
- Transmission > 85% at operating wavelength over an aperture
of 60 mm.
- 3000 angstroms wavelength coverage range in the visible.
- Tilt resolution 25 arc seconds.
- Tilt tuning range 10°.
- Filter weight 2 kg (excluding electronics).
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