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4
to reach 99% of the maximum attenuation already around a 9 GHz frequency
shift.
This device is optimized to be operated at the widely used wavelength of 532
nm, produced by most commercial DPSS Nd-YAG laser sources, but will give
satisfactory performance for all wavelengths in the range from 490 nm to 550
nm.
The unit should not require any kind of maintenance, excluding periodical
checks on the correct tuning to the laser source frequency.
Instrument layout and general description of a TCF-1
Fig. 2 : images of the TCF-1 device; letters indicate the various
components described in the text.
Images of the device are shown in Fig. 2: the small etalon plate is mounted and
sealed in a container, fixed inside a cylindrical cavity in the main unit body (A).
The body can be placed at a variable height by loosening the plastic screw (B)
and sliding the block vertically along the 15 mm diameter post; a movable
height-fixing ring (C) is provided to ease the adjustment. To move the support
ring, use a small screwdriver to loosen or tighten the locking screw.
Rotation around the horizontal axis is also possible, by loosening the screw (D)
on the instrument back, and tightening again in the desired position. The active
body is connected to the instrument control box by a wire and an M8 connector
(E).
The power supply socket (F) is located on the backside of the control box, while
the temperature control knob, the stability indicator and the power supply LED
are located on the top of it (G). The stability indicator reports the activity of the
instrument: when it is in the red part of the scale, the etalon head is heating up
while when in the green part, it is cooling down; a stable condition at the set
point has thus been reached when the indicator is close to the middle line. The
red LED is always lit when the instrument is correctly powered.
