Roof Prism


  • 90° Deviation of Beam or Image
  • Produces Inverted Image
  • Material: N-BK7, Grade A Fine Anneal
  • Surface Flatness: λ/10

PS951

Application Idea

PS951 Prism on a KM100PM

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Dimensions

Roof Prism Dimensional Drawing
Dimensions Key
Item # PS951
A 18 mm
B 23 mm
Clear Aperture 15 mm
Roof Prism
Roof prisms will reverse, but not invert images transmitted throught them.

Applications

  • Binoculars
  • Spotting Scopes
  • Prism Diagonals in an Optical System
  • Optical Tooling

Thorlabs' Roof Prism is made from N-BK7, an RoHS compliant version of BK7, and can be used when a right angle deflection of an image or laser beam is required. In passing through the prism, the image is both deflected right-to-left and top-to-bottom. The hypotenuse of the prism utilizes total internal reflection (TIR) to reflect the image through the prism. Polarization states may become rotated during reflection.

For custom sizes or optional anti-reflection coatings, please contact Tech Support.

Please refer to the Prism Guide tab above for assistance in selecting the appropriate prism for your application.

Optic Cleaning Tutorial
Zemax Files
Click on the red Document icon next to the item numbers below to access the Zemax file download. Our entire Zemax Catalog is also available.
N-BK7 Transmission
Click to Enlarge

Click Here for Raw Data

Specifications
Material N-BK7a, Grade A Fine Annealed
Angular Tolerance ±3 arcmin
Surface Quality 40-20 Scratch-Dig
Surface Flatness λ/10 at 632.8 nm
  • Click Link for Detailed Specifications on the Substrate Glass

Selection Guide for Prisms

Thorlabs offers a wide variety of prisms, which can be used to reflect, invert, rotate, disperse, steer, and collimate light. For prisms and substrates not listed below, please contact Tech Support.

Beam Steering Prisms

Prism Material Deviation Invert Reverse or Rotate Illustration Applications
Right Angle Prisms N-BK7, UV Fused Silica, Calcium Fluoride, or Zinc Selenide 90° 90° No 1

90° reflector used in optical systems such as telescopes and periscopes.

180° 180° No 1

180° reflector, independent of entrance beam angle.

Acts as a non-reversing mirror and can be used in binocular configurations.

TIR Retroreflectors
(Unmounted and Mounted)
and Specular Retroreflectors
(Unmounted and Mounted)
N-BK7 180° 180° No Retroreflector

180° reflector, independent of entrance beam angle.

Beam alignment and beam delivery. Substitute for mirror in applications where orientation is difficult to control.

Unmounted Penta Prisms
and
Mounted Penta Prisms
N-BK7 90° No No 1

90° reflector, without inversion or reversal of the beam profile.

Can be used for alignment and optical tooling.

Roof Prisms N-BK7 90° 90° 180o Rotation 1

90° reflector, inverted and rotated (deflected left to right and top to bottom).

Can be used for alignment and optical tooling.

Unmounted Dove Prisms
and
Mounted Dove Prisms
N-BK7 No 180° 2x Prism Rotation 1

Dove prisms may invert, reverse, or rotate an image based on which face the light is incident on.

Prism in a beam rotator orientation.

180° 180° No 1

Prism acts as a non-reversing mirror.

Same properties as a retroreflector or right angle (180° orientation) prism in an optical setup.

Wedge Prisms N-BK7 Models Available from 2° to 10° No No 1

Beam steering applications.

By rotating one wedged prism, light can be steered to trace the circle defined by 2 times the specified deviation angle.

No No Wedge Prism Pair

Variable beam steering applications.

When both wedges are rotated, the beam can be moved anywhere within the circle defined by 4 times the specified deviation angle.

Coupling Prisms Rutile (TiO2) or GGG Variablea No No Coupling Prism

High index of refraction substrate used to couple light into films.

Rutile used for nfilm > 1.8

GGG used for nfilm < 1.8

  • Depends on Angle of Incidence and Index of Refraction


Dispersive Prisms

Prism Material Deviation Invert Reverse or Rotate Illustration Applications
Equilateral Prisms F2, N-F2,
N-SF11,
Calcium Fluoride,
or Zinc Selenide
Variablea No No

Dispersion prisms are a substitute for diffraction gratings.

Use to separate white light into visible spectrum.

Dispersion Compensating Prism Pairs Fused Silica, Calcium Fluoride, SF10, or N-SF14 Variable Vertical Offset No No Dispersion-Compensating Prism Pair

Compensate for pulse broadening effects in ultrafast laser systems.

Can be used as an optical filter, for wavelength tuning, or dispersion compensation.

 

Pellin Broca Prisms N-BK7,
UV Fused Silica,
or Calcium Fluoride
90° 90° No 1

Ideal for wavelength separation of a beam of light, output at 90°.

Used to separate harmonics of a laser or compensate for group velocity dispersion.

  • Depends on Angle of Incidence and Index of Refraction

Beam Manipulating Prisms

Prism Material Deviation Invert Reverse or Rotate Illustration Applications
Anamorphic Prism Pairs N-KZFS8 or
N-SF11
Variable Vertical Offset No No 1

Variable magnification along one axis.

Collimating elliptical beams (e.g., laser diodes)

Converts an elliptical beam into a circular beam by magnifying or contracting the input beam in one axis.

Axicons (UVFS, ZnSe) UV Fused Silica
or Zinc Selenide
Variablea No No 1

Creates a conical, non-diverging beam with a Bessel intensity profile from a collimated source.

  • Depends on Prism Physical Angle

Polarization Altering Prisms

Prism Material Deviation Invert Reverse or Rotate Illustration Applications
Glan-Taylor, Glan-Laser, and α-BBO Glan-Laser Polarizers Glan-Taylor:
Calcite

Glan-Laser:
α-BBO or Calcite
p-pol. - 0°

s-pol. - 112°a
No No Glan-Taylor Polarizer

Double prism configuration and birefringent calcite produce extremely pure linearly polarized light.

Total Internal Reflection of s-pol. at the gap between the prism while p-pol. is transmitted.

Rutile Polarizers Rutile (TiO2) s-pol. - 0°

p-pol. absorbed by housing
No No Rutile Polarizer Diagram

Double prism configuration and birefringent rutile (TiO2) produce extremely pure linearly polarized light.

Total Internal Reflection of p-pol. at the gap between the prisms while s-pol. is transmitted.

 

Double Glan-Taylor Polarizers Calcite p-pol. - 0°

s-pol. absorbed by housing
No No Glan-Taylor Polarizer

Triple prism configuration and birefringent calcite produce maximum polarized field over a large half angle.

Total Internal Reflection of s-pol. at the gap between the prism while p-pol. is transmitted.

Glan Thompson Polarizers Calcite p-pol. - 0°

s-pol. absorbed by housing
No No Glan-Thompson Polarizer

Double prism configuration and birefringent calcite produce a polarizer with the widest field of view while maintaining a high extinction ratio.

Total Internal Reflection of s-pol. at the gap between the prism while p-pol. is transmitted.

Wollaston Prisms and
Wollaston Polarizers
Quartz, Magnesium Fluoride, α-BBO, Calcite, Yttrium Orthovanadate Symmetric
p-pol. and
s-pol. deviation angle
No No Wollaston Prism

Double prism configuration and birefringent calcite produce the widest deviation angle of beam displacing polarizers.

s-pol. and p-pol. deviate symmetrically from the prism. Wollaston prisms are used in spectrometers and polarization analyzers.

Rochon Prisms Magnesium Fluoride
or
Yttrium Orthovanadate
Ordinary Ray: 0°

Extraordinary Ray: deviation angle
No No

Double prism configuration and birefringent MgF2 or YVO4 produce a small deviation angle with a high extinction ratio.

Extraordinary ray deviates from the input beam's optical axis, while ordinary ray does not deviate.

Beam Displacing Prisms Calcite 2.7 or 4.0 mm Beam Displacement No No Beam Displacing Prism

Single prism configuration and birefringent calcite separate an input beam into two orthogonally polarized output beams.

s-pol. and p-pol. are displaced by 2.7 or 4.0 mm. Beam displacing prisms can be used as polarizing beamsplitters where 90o separation is not possible.

Fresnel Rhomb Retarders N-BK7 Linear to circular polarization

Vertical Offset
No No Fresnel Rhomb Quarter Wave

λ/4 Fresnel Rhomb Retarder turns a linear input into circularly polarized output.

Uniform λ/4 retardance over a wider wavelength range compared to birefringent wave plates.

Rotates linearly polarized light 90° No No Fresnel Rhomb Half Wave

λ/2 Fresnel Rhomb Retarder rotates linearly polarized light 90°.

Uniform λ/2 retardance over a wider wavelength range compared to birefringent wave plates.

  • S-polarized light is not pure and contains some P-polarized reflections.

Beamsplitter Prisms

Prism Material Deviation Invert Reverse or Rotate Illustration Applications
Beamsplitter Cubes N-BK7 50:50 splitting ratio, 0° and 90°

s- and p- pol. within 10% of each other
No No Non-polarizing Beamsplitter

Double prism configuration and dielectric coating provide 50:50 beamsplitting nearly independent of polarization.

Non-polarizing beamsplitter over the specified wavelength range.

Polarizing Beamsplitter Cubes N-BK7, UV Fused Silica, or N-SF1 p-pol. - 0°

s-pol. - 90°
No No Polarizing Beamsplitter Cube

Double prism configuration and dielectric coating transmit p-pol. light and reflect s-pol. light.

For highest polarization use the transmitted beam.


Posted Comments:
avshadler  (posted 2017-07-21 18:46:18.57)
B"H We are developing a new type of consumer visual device where a wiregrid polarizing x splitter would be ideal. 3 or 4 prisms would be joined togethre to make this component. For prototypes, how sharp can the 90 degree angle be made -- like a roof prism in sharpness but not like roof prsim in accuracy. The whole X splitter would be about 18x18X22 mm. I would be glad to send you more on our work. A. S. Adler Personal Reader Project Jerusalem
tfrisch  (posted 2017-07-26 11:30:28.0)
Hello, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. It would be helpful to see a drawing of the component you are looking for as many tolerances would be affected by the assembly of the part. I will reach out to you directly about this application.
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PS951 Support Documentation
PS95115 mm Clear Aperture Roof Prism (A=18 mm, B=23 mm)
$66.82
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