OP-8565 Solid Fused Silica Metalons

AMS item number: SW11171

Fused Silica; 350-900 nm; Finesse ~2.5, Dependent on Wavelength; FSR 0.5-2/cm; Thickness... more

Product information "OP-8565 Solid Fused Silica Metalons"

Fused Silica; 350-900 nm; Finesse ~2.5, Dependent on Wavelength; FSR 0.5-2/cm; Thickness 1.686-6.743 mm; Broadband Metallic Coating; Dia. 25.4 mm; Clear Aperture Dia. 20.0 mm

LightMachinery’s OP-8565 series of solid Fused Silica etalons with broadband metallic coatings (Metalons) are 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.

These very broadband (350 to 900 nm), low-finesse metalons are available with a diameter of 25.4 mm and 1.686, 3.371 or 6.743 mm thickness. Corresponding free spectral range (FSR) values are 2/cm, 1/cm and 0.5/cm respectively.

It is very difficult to create very broadband dielectric coatings, however metal coatings are naturally effective over a wide range of wavelengths. Sadly, they also absorb a significant amount of energy and as the reflectivity is pushed higher, the absorption also increases. LightMachinery’s metal coated etalons, or Metalons, are a compromise that achieves a reasonable finesse of about 2.5 using coatings that are about between 30% and 40% reflective from 350 to 900 nm.

The result is a peak transmission of about 40%, so if you need really high transmission and no loss then this is not your etalon. But the modulation is about 75%, so if your application calls for wavelength monitoring, OP-8656 metalons might just work great and will almost certainly work for your wavelength range.

Etalons are optically transparent, flat components with very precisely parallel reflecting surfaces. For high performance (i.e. resolution), these components require very high-quality, flat and level surfaces with low roughness and extreme parallelism. Metal-coated Solid Fused Silica etalons are comparatively simple, robust, yet very parallel optical components with a wide variety of applications in lasers and spectroscopy.

One major issue with solid etalons is their instability to temperature changes (both the index and the physical thickness of the etalon material change with temperature), which can be unacceptable in certain applications. In those cases, please refer to air spaced etalons that reduce this problem of temperature dependence by using air as the etalon medium. In certain applications though, the temperature dependence can also be a useful method for tuning the transmission peak position since it effectively changes the thickness of the etalon.

Sometimes you need something special – if you are looking for a customized metal-coated solid Fused Silica 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: Fused Silica, 7980 OA Grade
Broadband Metallic Coating
Wavelength Range: 350 to 900 nm
Finesse: ~2.5, Dependent on Wavelength
Free Spectral Range, FSR: 2/cm, 1/cm, 0.5/cm
Diameter: 25.4 mm (1")
Thickness: 1.686, 3.371, 6.743 mm
Clear Aperture: Diameter 20.0 mm
Surface Figure: λ/10
Surface Quality: 80/50 or Better
Thickness Uniformity (Wedge) <2 nm rms Over the Clear Aperture

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