FP Fringes

Solid Etalons

The optical cavity of a solid etalon is formed within the body of the substrate with the outer surfaces being coated with metal or dielectric mirror coatings.

Solid etalons are compact and easily handled. Their working parameters depend upon the mirror reflectivity, the homogeneity of the optical glass that forms the cavity and quality of the polishing.

At IC Optical Systems we test solid etalons during manufacture by monitoring the uniformity of the optical path through the etalon substrate.

We make solid etalons to special order with parameters;

  • optical path uniformity up to λ/50 at 633nm or better.
  • diameters from ~5mm to 100mm or bigger
  • Thickness from ~30μm to in excess of 150mm
  • Operating wavelengths UV-VIS-NIR