Optical prisms for UV-VIS-NIR-IR wavelengths
Prism is optical component with special geometry, due to which is usually used to redirect laser beam or split it into component wavelengths.
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- Description
- Types
Optical Prism: description, function, key applications and production.
Is prism just a glass? Is prism a type of lens? What is a prism?
Prism is not just a glass, and prisms are not a type of lens. Prism is optical component with special geometry, due to which is usually used to redirect laser beam or split it into component wavelengths.
How does prism work?
When laser beam light passes through a prism it bends due to refraction and can separate into components by dispersion. Prisms also reflect light internally in order to redirect the beam directions (to adjust image orientations, effectively split or combine beams).
What are optical prisms used for?
Optical prisms are used for manipulation of light: bending, dispersing or reflecting laser beam. This is a key component in cameras, binoculars, spectroscopes for image correction, wavelength separation and beam directing.
How is a prism made?
Production of all types of prisms involve several typical steps:
- Choosing the prism material and evaluating the material properties. This is crucial step, since materials with needed optical characteristics can have bad physical parameters (e.g. be brittle).
- Cutting, shaping and polishing of prisms. In this step prism shape is formed and it is polished to achieve required surface quality and wavefront distortion requirements.
- Optional optical coating. Thin film coatings can be deposited or sputtered on working surfaces of the prism.
- Quality control. Once manufacturing is finished, the final inspection is done. It is crucial to check the prisms, especially more complex ones, since there are a lot of angles and even slightest unplanned deviation can cause big problems in state-of-the-art optical systems.
What are the types of prisms ?
In the table bellow you can see some of most popular prisms. Please, scrol bellow the table to learn even more about each one of them.
| Prism Type | Manufacturing Complexity | Popularity | Key applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triangular | 2 | 3 | Spectroscopes, R&D experiments |
| Right Angle | 1 | 3 | Periscopes, imaging systems |
| Penta | 3 | 2 | Surveillance systems, SLR cameras |
| Dove | 2 | 1 | Interferometers, telescopes |
| Roof (Amici) | 3 | 2 | Binoculars, scopes |
| Porro | 2 | 3 | Binoculars, optical instruments |
| Littrow | 3 | 1 | Laser tunning, spectroscopy |
| Pellin-Broca | 3 | 1 | Spectroscopy, laser systems |
Dispersive (Dispersion) | Triangular prism
Dispersive (Triangular) prism disperses laser light into its component wavelengths (creating a spectrum). This feature is very useful for laser light composition analysis.
Right angle prism
Right angle prism redirects laser beam by 90 degrees. That allows to change laser beam path precisely with very minimal impact to coherence or alignment.
Penta prism
Penta prism deviates laser beam by a precise 90-degree angle while maintaining the original (initial) orientation of the beam. In targeting or alignment systems these prisms are critical components to ensure effective beam direction controlling.
Dove Prism
Dove prisms rotate laser beam around its propagation axis or invert the image, depending on the orientation of prism with respect to the laser beam. This allows precise control over orientation of beam patters (and images) in optical systems.
Roof (Amici) Prism
Roof (Amici) Prism can be used to invert and reverse the laser beam, correcting the image orientation in optical systems, where the right-side-up and correct left-right orientation of the beam pattern is crucial. E.g. scanning or imaging devices
Porro Prism
Porro Prism flips the laser beam right-side-up and enhances the field of view. These prisms are very useful in binoculars or scopes, where broad and correctly orientated view is needed.
Littrow Prism
Littrow Prism is used to highly disperse the leaser beam, allowing for very narrow linewidth selection or tuning of the laser wavelength. This is particularly useful in laser tunning applications (e.g. spectroscopy) where precise wavelength control is needed.
Pellin-Broca Prism
Pellin-Broca Prism can be used to separate laser beam into its component wavelengths with minimal deviation from the selected wavelength. This process enables precise spectral analysis and filtering of laser light.