Collimation tester
CVI Melles Griot

CVI Melles Griot shear plate collimation testers can be used to set the divergence or convergence of a laser collimating system to less than 20 µrad (full angle). These testers can also be used to measure wavefront radius of curvature, determine wavefront symmetry, and measure the power of long-focal-length optics.

* Testers can be used at all wavelengths in the visible spectrum.
* They test collimation at beam diameters from 5 to 85 mm.
* Both 1/4-20 and M6 threaded mounting holes are included.

Each shear-plate module consists of a wedged, uncoated optical flat mounted in a black aluminum cube complete with a high-visibility viewing screen and a collimation reference line. To collimate an expanded laser beam, the tester is inserted in the beam and the collimator is adjusted until the fringes observed on the screen are parallel to the reference line. All CVI Melles Griot shear-plate modules follow the same sign convention: a convergent beam produces a clockwise rotation of the fringes on the screen relative to the reference line, whereas a divergent beam produces a counterclockwise rotation (see application note). The high-visibility viewing screen makes it unnecessary to use low ambient lighting to observe the fringes. These shear plates can be used at any wavelength within the visible spectrum.