Retroreflectors for High Power Applications

Retroreflectors reflect incoming light parallel to the original beam irrespective of the angle of incidence. This effect is common in cat’s eyes (bicycle reflectors), which, if illuminated, return a bright reflection in the direction of the original light beam.

Retroreflectors are often used in the adjustment of optical systems and the performance of measurement tasks. There are two types of reflectors:

Solid Retroreflectors

These reflectors consist of a triple prism and are based on total reflection. The surface of the component through which light enters is typically equipped with an AR coating to keep scatter loss to a minimum. This coating allows the component to operate at a very high efficiency level.

Hollow Retroreflectors

Hollow reflectors are commonly used in lasers in the UV and IR range as well as in fs lasers. These reflectors are available with different metal coatings, with and without a protective layer.

In general, the following is true of these components: The larger the aperture is, the easier it is to allow small deviations up to 0.5 arc seconds in the angle of reflection.

Parallel incident light that hits the hollow retroreflector will be returned with great accuracy to the light source, regardless of the physical orientation.

The retroreflector is available with a broad range of standard metallic coatings which meet all applicable MIL-specs. Unprotected metallic coatings are especially suited to interferometric applications. Custom coatings are available upon request.

Ultra Low-Profile Retroreflectors

These small reflector designs are 36% lighter than other models and still meet the demanding requirements of the aerospace industry: They are extremely resistant to shock, vibrations, and temperature fluctuations. Their circular build with diameters from 12.7 mm to 125 mm can be integrated into drill holes or standard optomechanical mounts.

You may choose from a variety of metal coatings covering a wide range of wavelengths from 20µm in the IR spectrum to the UV-C wavelength of 225 nm. Of course, you can always submit your own mirror specifications.