System including unified beamsplitter and parallel reflecting element, and retroreflecting component
US5675412A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 24, 1995 |
| Grant date | Oct 7, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 24, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01J3/4535
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A moving mirror interferometer consists of a back-to-back double mirror, operatively interposed in the paths of beams from a beamsplitter/parallel reflecting mirror combiner, and a corner cube retroreflector. One beam component from the combiner is directed toward the retroreflector, and arrives therefrom at one side of the double mirror rotated 180.degree. about its central axis; the other component from the combiner arrives at the opposite side of the double mirror without axial rotation. Alignment in the interferometer is insensitive to shearing or tilting of the optical components; the components may be semi-rigidly mounted for resilient deflection, so as to isolate them against distortion of the supporting structure, and dynamic beam path-length variation may optimally be produced by moving the corner cube retroreflector, the back-to-back double mirror, or both.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.