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Round Wedge Prisms![]()
PS814 PS810 PS812 Application Idea PS814 Prism Mounted in a PRM1 Rotation Mount Using an SM1W189 Shim and SM1RR Retaining Ring SM1W189 Mounting Shim for PS814 ![]() Please Wait ![]() Click to Enlarge SM1W1122 Mounting Shim Being Used with an SM1RR Retaining Ring to Mount a PS812 Prism in an SM1 Lens Tube Thorlabs' Wedge Prisms are ideal for laser beam steering applications. Also known as Risley prisms, these optics deflect a beam normal to the prism's perpendicular surface through an angular deviation ranging from 2° to 10°. Please refer to the Wedged Prism Specs tab for the angular deviation of each wedge prism. Thorlabs' wedge prisms can be purchased uncoated or coated with one of three standard broadband AR coatings. Wedge prisms can be used individually or in combination with another wedge prism for beam steering. For more details and to see a sample application, click on the Application Idea tab above. Mounting
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![]() Click to Enlarge Click Here for Raw Data The blue shaded region indicates the specified 650 - 1050 nm wavelength range for optimum performance. ![]() Click to Enlarge Click Here for Raw Data The blue shaded region indicates the specified 350 - 700 nm wavelength range for optimum performance. ![]() Click to Enlarge Click Here for Raw Data The blue shaded region indicates the specified 1050 - 1700 nm wavelength range for optimum performance. Application Ideas
Introduction and Setup An Application Note was prepared to describe this process in further detail, and will be referenced periodically here. For a full download of the Application Note, click the button at the upper right of this tab. To the upper right is also a download for an Excel spreadsheet which can be used to model a Risley Prism Scanner. Tracing a Circle with One Prism This is equation 9 in the Applciation Note linked above. In this equation r' is this circle's radius, S is the distance from the last surface of the prism to the scanning surface, T is the center thickness of the prism, Φo is the beam angle relative to the original optical axis after exiting the second surface of the prism, Φi is the angle created from the beam's incidence on the first surface of the prism according to Snell's Law, and Φp is the resulting angle the beam takes inside the prism relative to the first surface's normal according to Snell's Law. Tracing a Circle with Two Prisms This is equation 18 in the Applciation Note linked above. In this parametric equation, rmax is the radius of this circle (any subsequent shape created by this setup is enclosed by this radius), T is the middle thickness of the fist prism, T' is the effective thickness of prism 2 after the deviated beam travels through it, Φi is the angle created from the beam's incidence on the first surface of the fist prism according to Snell's Law, Φp is the resulting angle the beam takes inside the prism relative to the first surface's normal according to Snell's Law, z is the distance from the second surface of the second prism to the scanning surface, S is the distance between the prisms, and Φo is the beam angle relative to the original optical axis after exiting the second surface of the first prism. Tracing a Spiral with Two Prisms This is equation 21 in the Applciation Note linked above; please reference that Applciation Note or the accompanying spreadsheet for the definitions of these variables. As an example, the long-exposure photograph to the right shows two wedge prisms being used to trace out a spiral. This was realized by first setting the beam to be undeviated, and then having the prisms rotate in the same direction, with one prism set to rotate 0.5 deg/s faster than the other. This, and many other shapes, can be created on the "Third Approx." sheet of the downloadable Excel sheet above. To create this spiral, try inputting 25 deg/s to ω1 (rotation speed of prism 1), 24.5 deg/s to ω2 (rotation speed of prism 2), and 80 seconds to t (run time), with a Δθ (home position offest) of 180 degrees.
Selection Guide for PrismsThorlabs offers a wide variety of prisms, which can be used to reflect, invert, rotate, disperse, steer, and collimate light. For prisms and substrates not listed below, please contact Tech Support. Beam Steering Prisms
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Prism | Material | Deviation | Invert | Reverse or Rotate | Illustration | Applications |
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Equilateral Prisms | F2, N-SF11, Calcium Fluoride, or Zinc Selenide |
Variablea | No | No | ![]() |
Dispersion prisms are a substitute for diffraction gratings. Use to separate white light into visible spectrum. |
Dispersion Compensating Prism Pairs | Fused Silica, Calcium Fluoride, SF10, or N-SF14 | Variable Vertical Offset | No | No |
Compensate for pulse broadening effects in ultrafast laser systems. Can be used as an optical filter, for wavelength tuning, or dispersion compensation.
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Pellin Broca Prisms | N-BK7, UV Fused Silica, or Calcium Fluoride |
90° | 90° | No | ![]() |
Ideal for wavelength separation of a beam of light, output at 90°. Used to separate harmonics of a laser or compensate for group velocity dispersion. |
Prism | Material | Deviation | Invert | Reverse or Rotate | Illustration | Applications |
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Anamorphic Prism Pairs | N-KZFS8 or N-SF11 |
Variable Vertical Offset | No | No | ![]() |
Variable magnification along one axis. Collimating elliptical beams (e.g., laser diodes) Converts an elliptical beam into a circular beam by magnifying or contracting the input beam in one axis. |
Axicons | UV Fused Silica or Zinc Selenide |
Variablea | No | No | ![]() |
Creates a conical, non-diverging beam with a Bessel intensity profile from a collimated source. |
Prism | Material | Deviation | Invert | Reverse or Rotate | Illustration | Applications |
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Glan-Taylor, Glan-Laser, and α-BBO Glan-Laser Polarizers | Glan-Taylor: Calcite Glan-Laser: α-BBO or Calcite |
p-pol. - 0° s-pol. - 112°a |
No | No | ![]() |
Double prism configuration and birefringent calcite produce extremely pure linearly polarized light. Total Internal Reflection of s-pol. at the gap between the prism while p-pol. is transmitted. |
Rutile Polarizers | Rutile (TiO2) | s-pol. - 0° p-pol. absorbed by housing |
No | No | ![]() |
Double prism configuration and birefringent rutile (TiO2) produce extremely pure linearly polarized light. Total Internal Reflection of p-pol. at the gap between the prisms while s-pol. is transmitted.
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Double Glan-Taylor Polarizers | Calcite | p-pol. - 0° s-pol. absorbed by housing |
No | No | ![]() |
Triple prism configuration and birefringent calcite produce maximum polarized field over a large half angle. Total Internal Reflection of s-pol. at the gap between the prism while p-pol. is transmitted. |
Glan Thompson Polarizers | Calcite | p-pol. - 0° s-pol. absorbed by housing |
No | No | ![]() |
Double prism configuration and birefringent calcite produce a polarizer with the widest field of view while maintaining a high extinction ratio. Total Internal Reflection of s-pol. at the gap between the prism while p-pol. is transmitted. |
Wollaston Prisms and Wollaston Polarizers |
Quartz, Magnesium Fluoride, α-BBO, Calcite, Yttrium Orthovanadate | Symmetric p-pol. and s-pol. deviation angle |
No | No | ![]() |
Double prism configuration and birefringent calcite produce the widest deviation angle of beam displacing polarizers. s-pol. and p-pol. deviate symmetrically from the prism. Wollaston prisms are used in spectrometers and polarization analyzers. |
Rochon Prisms | Magnesium Fluoride or Yttrium Orthovanadate |
Ordinary Ray: 0° Extraordinary Ray: deviation angle |
No | No | ![]() |
Double prism configuration and birefringent MgF2 or YVO4 produce a small deviation angle with a high extinction ratio. Extraordinary ray deviates from the input beam's optical axis, while ordinary ray does not deviate. |
Beam Displacing Prisms | Calcite | 2.7 or 4.0 mm Beam Displacement | No | No |
Single prism configuration and birefringent calcite separate an input beam into two orthogonally polarized output beams. s-pol. and p-pol. are displaced by 2.7 or 4.0 mm. Beam displacing prisms can be used as polarizing beamsplitters where 90o separation is not possible. |
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Fresnel Rhomb Retarders | N-BK7 | Linear to circular polarization Vertical Offset |
No | No |
λ/4 Fresnel Rhomb Retarder turns a linear input into circularly polarized output. Uniform λ/4 retardance over a wider wavelength range compared to birefringent wave plates. |
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Rotates linearly polarized light 90° | No | No |
λ/2 Fresnel Rhomb Retarder rotates linearly polarized light 90°. Uniform λ/2 retardance over a wider wavelength range compared to birefringent wave plates. |
Prism | Material | Deviation | Invert | Reverse or Rotate | Illustration | Applications |
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Beamsplitter Cubes | N-BK7 | 50:50 splitting ratio, 0° and 90° s- and p- pol. within 10% of each other |
No | No |
Double prism configuration and dielectric coating provide 50:50 beamsplitting nearly independent of polarization. Non-polarizing beamsplitter over the specified wavelength range. |
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Polarizing Beamsplitter Cubes | N-BK7, UV Fused Silica, or N-SF1 | p-pol. - 0° s-pol. - 90° |
No | No |
Double prism configuration and dielectric coating transmit p-pol. light and reflect s-pol. light. For highest polarization use the transmitted beam. |
Thorlabs' Wedge Prism Mounting Shims are designed to provide a flat, uninterrupted mounting surface between a Ø1" wedge prism and one of our retaining rings. Normally a retaining ring will only contact a small portion of the wedged optic, potentially causing incorrect seating or unexpected shifts. These shims have a wedge on one side to ensure that the wedged optic is properly mounted within an SM1 lens tube or rotation mount when secured with a retaining ring. The shim does not impinge upon the clear aperture of our wedge prisms, as shown in the drawings to the right. Four shims are available, each with a wedge angle that matches one of our wedge prisms: 3° 53', 7° 41', 11° 22', or 18° 9'.
Each mounting shim has two slots for compatibility with our SPW602 and SPW606 Spanner Wrenches. When aligning these rings within an SM1 lens tube or mount, we recommend holding the mount or lens tube vertically while using a spanner wrench to roughly align the shim's wedge against the optic. When roughly aligned, tighten the retaining ring down until it binds and then slightly loosen it. Alternate between tightening and loosening the retaining ring until the shim and optic are well aligned with one another. Then secure the optic and shim with the retaining ring.
In addition, these shims can be used in pairs to mount Ø1" planar optics, such as filters or windows, at a predefined angle within an SM1 lens tube to reduce back reflections. Simply place the filter between two shims with the same wedge angle and follow the mounting instructions recommended above. When mounting planar optics with this method the optic thickness is critical. The maximum optic thickness is 6 mm when using two SM1W353 mounting shims, or 1 mm when using two SM1W741 or SM1W1122 mounting shims. Due to its large wedge angle, we do not recommend mounting planar filters with the SM1W189. Regardless of the optic thickness, the optic diameter is not large enough, which creates a gap that can allow unfiltered light through.
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