Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Robert Todd Belt

Eric Stephen Johnstone

William Clay Schluchter

James B Prince

W Clay Schluchter

David M George

A refractive optical system may be a collimator, focusing optical system, reducer, or expander and includes an entrance optical element, an exit optical element, and a volume disposed between the entrance and exit optical elements. The volume is configured to have an index of refraction that is insensitive to changes in atmospheric conditions of the ambient environment. A surface of curvature of an input surface of the entrance optical element is parallel to a wavefront curvature of an input light beam and an output surface of the exit optical element is parallel to a wavefront curvature of an exit light beam. Accordingly, the wavefront curvature of the exit light beam is insensitive to the ambient environment permitting the production and operation environments to change without a change to the performance of the optical system.

Ambient environment index of refraction insensitive optical system

At least two discrete quarter wave plates are provided for use as plane mirrors or reflectors in a displacement measuring interferometer, where the plates share common or substantially common reflecting surface geometries. A plurality of geometrically matched discrete matched quarter wave plates reduces the amount of tilt between an input beam provided to, and an output measurement beam provided by, an interferometer, resulting in increased interferometer dynamic range.

Discrete quarter wave plates for displacement measuring interferometers

An interferometer is provided that minimizes the introduction of non-linear errors into displacement measurements. In one embodiment, non-linear errors are reduced by isolating reference and measurement beams over most of their respective optical paths leading to the detector, and by employing a separate amplitude-splitting non-polarizing optical beam splitter for each beam input into the interferometer. Additionally, the interferometer is scalable to an arbitrary number of optical axes or inputs.

Low non-linear error displacement measuring interferometer

A method for designing a base includes (1) selecting a location of a first center of expansion of a child part (CE) relative to a parent part; (2) determining a location of a second center of expansion of a bond joint (CE) bonding the child part to the base; and (3) determining a location of a third center of expansion of the base (CE) on a centerline, which is defined by the CEand the CE, so the CEdoes not substantially move relative to the parent part under a temperature change. To determine the location of the CE, the method further includes (a) determining a length change to the child part from the CEto the CEunder the temperature change; (b) determining a length of the base that produces the same length change under the temperature change; and (c) locating the CEat the length away from the CE.

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Robert Todd Belt