Abstract
A laser wavemeter based on a fringe-counting Michelson interferometer is described and its use with infrared tunable diode laser (TDL) sources is demonstrated. The wavemeter features compact vacuum-tight construction, the use of a vernier technique to ensure integral fringe counts, and the use of an inexpensive home computer circuit board for direct automatic read-out of the TDL wavenumber or wavelength. The design emphasizes compactness and ease of use at some expense in accuracy, which is limited mainly by TDL alignment and wavefront curvature effects. For routine use in the 5 to 10 μm region, the wavemeter is reliable to about 0.03 cm−1 in unfavorable cases, and a factor of ten better ordinarily. With extra care in alignment of the TDL beam, or with a single “calibration” in a given region, accuracies of 0.001 cm−1 may be obtained (better than 1 part in 106).
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