Mirror Mount Assembly

 SP-MMA-04, -05, -06

Features & Capabilities

Mirror Mount Assembly Features

Aligning a mirror can be a time consuming and frustrating experience if it is assembled in a mirror mount that does not have independent translation and angular movement adjustment controls.

Mirrors that are used in an optical assembly or a train of optics are much easier to align if you can make independent alignment movements. If you adjust a mirror in an angular direction you don’t want it to move from a translation position setting that you want to maintain. This translation position change is usually considered cross talk.

Mirrors mounted in cells that have adjustments that provide this capability are not commonly found, if so they usually have other limitations such as limited motions and range or excessive weight and size. 

Scientific Products is now offering a new mirror mount assembly that has these unique capability inherently designed to provide what is called a true gimbal motion with these critical features without cross talk.

Alignment Procedure for the Mirror Mount Assembly SP-MMA-04, -05,-06 

Mirror mount assembly Setup

Usually a mirror mount assembly is set to a common axial height and located at a specific distance and position from a light source. Then the mirror is rotated about its axis to reflect the output beam of the source to a given direction or target destination.

Translation Motions  (using a  translation stage with x, y and z motions)

The object is to locate the mirror mount assembly to the position where the output beam of a given light source is centered on the axis of the mirror.

First use only the horizontal, vertical and axial motions to position and center the mirror to the light source. These translation motions are also called x, y and z respectively.

Angular Motions Alignment 

The next task is to rotate the mirror mount assembly about the mirror axis to reflect the beam of light along the desired path to the target position. Use the coarse angular motions first to get close. Then  tilt the mirror about the mirror axis using the fine-tune adjustments x, y, z. This will allow you to direct the beam precisely to the desired target position. Lock the mirror in place after final motions are performed.

Repeat this procedure as needed for any additional mirrors in the optical path. The alignment is considered optimized when the mirror (s) positions the light source on the final target and performs their function.  

You can easily see the advantages of having the independent motions as described working for you.  By using this procedure and the SP-MMA-04, -05 mirror mount  you will eliminate many alignment iterations, frustrations and the waste of time.