Right Angle Prisms are made by
BK7 and UV grade fused silica. Very high prism transmission
can be achieved by using the hypotenuse face in total
internal reflection (TIR), and by antireflection coating
the entrance and exit faces. Antireflection coatings are
discussed in the Coatings section of this guide.
A Right-Angle Prism is used as a mirror to deviate light
through 90 degree, and also as a reflector to deflect
light through 180 degree by total internal reflection.
90-degree Deflection:
90 degree deflection occurs at the face. The hypotenuse
image is erected and reversed.
180-degree Deflection:
180 degree deflection uses with hypotenuse as the entrance
and exit face. The main application is as a retroreflector
provided that the plane of incident beam includes the
vertex.
Coating:
Most optical coatings can be applied to prism faces. When
specifying a coating option please be sure to indicate
which surface you want coated.
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