NANORADIAN ANGLE SENSOR AND IN-SITU SELF-CALIBRATION

Citation
Sz. Zhang et al., NANORADIAN ANGLE SENSOR AND IN-SITU SELF-CALIBRATION, Applied optics, 37(19), 1998, pp. 4154-4159
Citations number
9
Categorie Soggetti
Optics
Journal title
ISSN journal
00036935
Volume
37
Issue
19
Year of publication
1998
Pages
4154 - 4159
Database
ISI
SICI code
0003-6935(1998)37:19<4154:NASAIS>2.0.ZU;2-X
Abstract
We describe a high-precision angle sensor and a new calibration system for calibrating the linearity error of an angle sensor under in situ conditions without the need for accurate reference instruments. To ach ieve accuracy in the nanoradian (nrad) order, we elongated the critica l-angle prism to increase the sensitivity, and we added a thermal cont roller to the angle sensor. This served to suppress thermal drift of t he Light source to improve stability. The proposed angle sensor demons trated a stability of 3 nrad over 1 min, and the maximum repeatability error of the calibration curve determined by the in situ self-calibra tion method was approximately 35 nrad with a measurement range of 500 mu rad. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.