Optical Surfaces Ltd. reports on the development of a new polishing technique that has been shown to reproducibly improve the spectral filtering capability (finesse) of Fabry Perot etalons.
For over two decades – Optical Surfaces has supplied precisely matched Fabry-Perot etalon pairs to Table Stable Ltd. (Mettmenstetten, Switzerland) for use as a key component in their ultra-high-resolution JRS Series interferometers.
Operating in a uniquely stable manufacturing environment, Optical Surfaces is able to produce the required 50-mm diameter fused silica Fabry Perot Etalons pairs with matching accuracies of better than lambda/200.
Dr Aris Kouris, Sales Director of Optical Surfaces said “Many parameters including material quality, optical figure, plate parallelism and coating quality are all critical to the overall performance of a Fabry Perot etalon. To maintain the competitive edge of the Table Stable Interferometer we are continuously investigating ways of further improving the quality of the matched Etalon pairs we supply to them. Our latest development project focused on how to improve the spectral filtering capability of the Fabry Perot etalon pairs by reducing surface ripples and microroughness. Our initial investigation using chemical polishing techniques brought some improvement, but degraded the matching accuracy of the etalon pairs. As a consequence, we refocused our efforts into developing new polishing techniques using conventional compounds. The results have been excellent – the new polishing technique has allowed us to almost eliminate surface ripples thereby improving the finesse of the Fabry Perot Etalons whilst maintaining all the other high-performance characteristics”.
For further information on ultra-high precision etalons for use in applications in interferometry, lasers and high-resolution spectroscopy please visit www.optisurf.com/index.php/products/etalons/ or contact Optical Surfaces Ltd. on +44-208-668-6126 / [email protected].
Optical Surfaces Ltd. has been producing optical components and systems for leading academic and industrial research groups for more than 50 years. The company’s ISO 9001-2015 approved manufacturing workshops and test facilities are deep underground in a series of tunnels excavated in solid chalk where temperature remains constant and vibration is practically non-existent. With such stable conditions testing, particularly with long path lengths, becomes quantifiable and reliable. Working with these natural advantages is a highly skilled team of craftsmen with a commitment to excellence in both product quality and customer service.
