Laser alignment apparatus and method with an alignment mirror

摘要

A mirror is aligned on a laser tube using an apparatus comprising a window spaced from the mirror and a means for containing fluid, such as a bellows, between the window and the mirror. The window and the fluid have an index of refraction that matches that of the mirror. The bellows permits the mirror's relation to the window to be changed without the loss of the fluid. In aligning the lasing mirror, the window is oriented normal to a light beam from an autocollimator. The mirror is then placed in contact with the laser tube and oriented so that the beam from the autocollimator is reflected back on itself.