The optical alignment cube is an important tool used for the precise measurement and calibration of optical systems. It is typically used as a reference in precision machine tools, precision instruments, and large astronomical telescopes to ensure accurate alignment and measurement of optical systems.
There are various types of optical alignment cubes, one of which is the Polarizing Beam Splitter (PBS) cube. This type of cube is used to split a randomly polarized light beam into two orthogonal and linearly polarized components: S-polarized light is reflected at a 90° angle, while P-polarized light is transmitted through the cube. There are two main types of PBS cubes: standard PBS cubes and high-power PBS cubes. Standard PBS cubes are suitable for medium to low power applications, while high-power PBS cubes use special optical contact techniques and are suitable for high-power laser applications.
The specific characteristics of optical alignment cubes include:
1. Collinear Stacking: Optical alignment cubes can be collinearly stacked on support posts using PS-QA threaded adapters. This allows multiple cubes to be easily configured into an optical setup.
2. Directional Adjustment: The threaded adapters enable the cubes to be rotated to align with the direction of any cube below them. Additionally, a threaded hole on the top of the cube allows for further stacking of rods or other cubes.
3. Infinite Stacking: Unlike other cubes, when using this feature, the base cube can be infinitely stacked while maintaining common alignment.
These features make optical alignment cubes highly versatile and essential for precise optical system configurations.
| Specifications | Commercial spec. | High precision spec. |
| Material | Fused silica, Zerodur, Metal( Al, Ag ) | |
| Dimension | 5mm~100mm | |
| Dimension tolerance | ±0.1mm | ±0.05mm |
| Surface quality | 60/40 | 20/10 |
| Surface accuracy | PV<λ/10@632.8nm | PV<λ/20@632.8nm |
| Surface roughness | Ra<5nm | Ra<0.5nm |
| Crosshair | <0.04mm±0.01mm | |
| Bevel | <0.2mm x 45deg | <0.1mm x 45deg |
| Coating | Up on clients’ request on 5 surface | |
| Type No. | Size | Angles | Crosshair Deviation (mm) | Reflectance (Al coating) | Reflectance (Ag coating) |
| (mm) | (‘’) | ||||
| AC-8 | 8*8*8 | 5/3/1 | <0.03/0.1 | >90% | 0.96% |
| AC-10 | 10*10*10 | 5/3/1 | <0.03/0.1 | >90% | 0.96% |
| AC-15 | 15*15*15 | 5/3/1 | <0.03/0.1 | >90% | 0.96% |
| AC-20 | 20*20*20 | /3/1 | <0.03/0.1 | >90% | 0.96% |
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