Abstract

Large area, solid Fabry-Perot etalons have been manufactured of Z-cut lithium niobate, extending the initial work of Burton et al.¹ The finished substrates measure 75 mm in diameter, 210 µm in thickness, and their required thickness uniformity and surface finish is achieved by a Teflon polishing technique. A purpose built phase shifting digital interferometer (PSDI) is used during the fabrication process to monitor the optical thickness uniformity. The finesse and contrast ratio of such solid etalons are measured by precision angle tuning as a function of central aperture. Finesses of 25 and 28 have been achieved for full apertures of 60 and 25 mm, respectively, with a free spectral range of 4 Å.

© 1989 Optical Society of America