Right-Angle Prisms for Precision Beam Control

Sapphire Right Angle Prisms

Sapphire Right Angle Prisms

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Sold by: CSOC Ships from: China
Specifications
Material: BK7, FS, UVFS, IRFS, CaF2, F2, N-SF11, ZnSe, Ge, SF2, Custom, Other
Max Dimensions (A): 200 mm
Max Dimensions (B): 200 mm
Max Dimensions (C): 200 mm
Parallelism: +/-3 arc minutes (+/-5 arc seconds for customized high precision)

Did You Know?

Right-angle prisms were named for their classic 45˚-45˚-90˚ triangle shape. This unique geometry is a key reason why they are the most common and versatile prisms used in experimental physics today. While they have a variety of applications, right-angle prisms are most commonly used as a convenient and cost-effective way to change the direction of a beam of light. Depending upon the direction at which incident light rays enter the prism, their path can be rotated by 45, 90, or 180 degrees. As a result, right-angle prisms are often a component of a variety of optical devices, such as in periscopes and microscopes.
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Frequently Asked Questions

A right-angle prism is a 45°–45°–90° optical prism typically used to deviate or retroreflect a beam by 90° or 180°. It relies on refraction at the entrance/exit faces and, in many cases, total internal reflection (TIR) on the hypotenuse face, provided the incident angle exceeds the critical angle for the prism material and wavelength.

Right-Angle Prisms for Light Transport

Right-Angle Prisms are 90° optical prisms used to deviate, fold, or retroreflect light paths in compact optical assemblies. In a typical configuration, the input beam enters one of the legs and exits the other leg after total internal reflection off the hypotenuse face, producing a 90° deflection with preserved image orientation or controlled inversion.

On FindLight, Right-Angle Prisms are available in common optical substrates such as N-BK7, fused silica, CaF2, and UV-grade materials for applications ranging from UV through NIR. Typical specifications include tight tolerances on leg length, 90° angle accuracy, surface flatness, and surface quality to ensure predictable beam steering and minimal wavefront distortion in light transport systems.

Specifications and Use Cases

  • Materials: N-BK7 for visible–NIR, UV-fused silica for deep UV, infrared crystals for extended IR ranges.
  • Dimensions: From a few millimeters to tens of millimeters leg length for benchtop and OEM integration.
  • Angle tolerance: Typical 90° angle tolerances from ±3 arcmin to sub-arcmin for precision beam alignment.
  • Surface quality and flatness: Commonly 20-10 to 40-20 scratch-dig and λ/4 to λ/10 flatness at reference wavelength.
  • Coatings: Uncoated total internal reflection, AR coatings on legs, or metallic/dielectric mirror coatings on the hypotenuse for specific incidence and polarization conditions.

Right-Angle Prisms are used for beam steering in laser cavities, folding optical paths in imaging and spectroscopy systems, creating periscope assemblies, and implementing retroreflector or image inversion geometries in metrology setups.

Buyer Guidance on FindLight

When selecting Right-Angle Prisms on FindLight, compare substrate material versus your operating wavelength range, required laser damage threshold, and environmental constraints. Evaluate angular tolerance, surface quality, and flatness against your system’s alignment budget and wavefront error tolerance. Check whether you need uncoated TIR operation or specific AR or reflective coatings on one or more faces.

Use the product listings to review datasheets, coating curves, and dimensional drawings for available Right-Angle Prisms, then request quotes directly from suppliers. No registration is required to contact vendors, allowing you to quickly obtain pricing, lead times, and any needed customization such as custom angles, drilled holes, or mount-integrated prisms.