Assembly

The working principle of Gaussian mirrors is based on a Fabry Pérot interferometer with a fixed mirror spacing – a so-called etalon. In this way, the phase shift caused by the coating is minimized. Also, the wavefront distortion of coherent radiation is reduced.

The adjoining picture shows the cross-section of a coating that exhibits a gradual change in the reflection R(r) for monochromatic light depending on its position.

A so-called distance layer S with varying thickness d is surrounded by two identical mirror layers M. If d is an even multiple of l/4, the system is transparent for the wavelength and does not exhibit a reflection for l. If d is an odd multiple of l/4, the total reflection is determined by the reflection of the mirror layers M.

Special substrates are used for Gaussian mirrors. LASER COMPONENTS offers meniscus, plano convex, and other custom-made substrates.