Features

• Machined from Heat-Treated Stainless Steel with Low Coefficients of Thermal Expansion (CTE)
• Hardened Stainless Steel Ball Contacts with Sapphire Seats for Durability and Smooth Movement
• Matched Actuator and Back Plate Provide Stability and Smooth Kinematic Adjustment
• Passivated Stainless Steel Surface Ideal for Vacuum and High-Power Laser Cavity Applications
• Custom Mount Configurations are Available by Contacting Tech Support
• Patented Optic Bore Design with Monolithic Flexure Arm

Polaris^® Low-Drift Kinematic Mirror Mounts are designed to securely hold Ø1.50" (38.1 mm) optics, such as our low-GDD ultrafast mirrors, and are the ultimate solution for applications requiring stringent long-term alignment stability.

Optic Retention
This Polaris mirror mount features a patented optic bore design with a monolithic flexure arm to hold the optic. This design provides high holding force and pointing stability while allowing quick and easy installation of the optic.

Polaris optic bores are precision machined to achieve a fit that will provide optimum beam pointing stability over changing environmental conditions such as temperature changes, transportation shock, and vibration. Performance will be diminished if the Ø1.50" mount is used with optics that have an outer diameter tolerance greater than +0/-0.1 mm.

Design
Machined from heat-treated stainless steel, Polaris mounts utilize precision-matched adjusters with ball contacts and sapphire seats to provide smooth kinematic adjustment. The Polaris design addresses all of the common causes of beam misalignment; please refer to the Design Features tab for detailed information.

Post Mounting
The Polaris mirror mounts are equipped with #8 (M4) counterbores for post mounting. The Ø1.50" mount also includes Ø2 mm alignment pin holes around the mounting counterbore, allowing for precision alignments when paired with our posts for Polaris mirror mounts. See the Usage Tips tab for more recommendations about mounting configurations.

Cleanroom and Vacuum Compatibility
The POLARIS-K15S4 is designed to be compatible with cleanroom and vacuum applications. See the Specs tab and the Design Features tab for details.

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Details of the Polaris Side Optic Retention Design

Several common factors typically lead to beam misalignment in an optical setup. These include temperature-induced hysteresis of the mirror's position, crosstalk, drift, and backlash. Polaris mirror mounts are designed specifically to minimize these misalignment factors and thus provide extremely stable performance. Hours of extensive research, multiple design efforts using sophisticated design tools, and months of rigorous testing went into choosing the best components to provide an ideal solution for experiments requiring ultra-stable performance from a kinematic mirror mount.

Thermal Hysteresis
The temperature in most labs is not constant due to factors such as air conditioning, the number of people in the room, and the operating states of equipment. Thus, it is necessary that all mounts used in an alignment-sensitive optical setup be designed to minimize any thermally induced alignment effects. Thermal effects can be minimized by choosing materials with a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), like stainless steel. However, even mounts made from a material with a low CTE do not typically return the mirror to its initial position when the initial temperature is restored. All the critical components of the Polaris mirror mounts are heat treated prior to assembly since this process removes internal stresses that can cause a temperature-dependent hysteresis. As a result, the alignment of the optical system will be restored when the temperature of the mirror mount is returned to the initial temperature.

The method by which the mirror is secured in the mount is another important design factor for the Polaris; this Polaris mount offers excellent performance without the use of adhesives. Instead, it uses a monolithic flexure arm to hold the edge of the optic. The monolithic design is less sensitive to fluctuations in temperature and induces less distortion on the optic surface than a simple setscrew retention design.

Crosstalk
Crosstalk is minimized by carefully controlling the dimensional tolerances of the front and back plates of the mount so that the pitch and yaw actuators are orthogonal. In addition, sapphire seats are used at all three contact points of the ball of each actuator. Standard metal-to-metal actuator contact points will wear down over time. The polished sapphire seats of the Polaris mounts, in conjunction with the hardened stainless steel actuator tips, maintain the integrity of the contact surfaces over time.

Drift and Backlash
In order to minimize the positional drift of the mirror mount and backlash, it is necessary to limit the amount of play in the adjuster as well as the amount of lubricant used. When an adjustment is made to the actuator, the lubricant will be squeezed out of some spaces and built up in others. This non-equilibrium distribution of lubricant will slowly relax back into an equilibrium state. However, in doing so, this may cause the position of the front plate of the mount to move. The Polaris mounts use adjusters matched to the body or bushings that exceed all industry standards so very little adjuster lubricant is needed. As a result, alignment of the Polaris mounts is extremely stable even after being adjusted. In addition, these adjusters have a smooth feel that allows the user to make small, repeatable adjustments.

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Polaris Mounts are Shipped Inside Two Vacuum Bag Layers

Cleanroom and Vacuum Compatibility
The POLARIS-K15S4 is designed to be compatible with cleanroom and vacuum applications. It is chemically cleaned using the Carpenter AAA passivation method to remove sulfur, iron, and contaminants from the surface. After passivation, the mount is assembled in a clean environment and double vacuum bagged to eliminate contamination when transported into a cleanroom.

The lighter hatched engraving used in this mount is a pure metal engraving which is fully passivated and chemically cleaned. This results in a pure metal surface that is better suited for high-temperature environments using extremely high-energy sources.

All Polaris mounts have sapphire contacts bonded into place using a NASA-approved low outgassing procedure. In addition, DuPont Krytox^® LVP High-Vacuum Grease, an ultra-high-vacuum-compatible, low outgassing PTFE grease, is applied to the adjusters. Please note that the 8-32 and M4 cap screws included with the Polaris mounts are not rated for pressures below 10^-5 Torr.

Each vacuum-compatible Polaris mount is packaged within two vacuum bag layers after assembly in a clean environment, as seen in the image to the right. These vacuum bags do not contain any desiccant materials and tightly wrap the mount, preventing friction against the mount during shipping. This packing method protects the mount from corrosion, gas or liquid contamination, and particulates during transport. The first vacuum bag should be opened in a clean environment while the second vacuum bag should only be opened just prior to installation. When operating at pressures below 10^-5 Torr, we highly recommend using an appropriate bake out procedure prior to installing the mount in order to minimize contamination caused by outgassing.

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A POLARIS-K05 mounted to a surface using a Ø1" Post for Polaris Mirror Mounts and a Polaris Clamping Arm. Using a 1.50" long post, the optical axis is 2.0" above the table surface.

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POLARIS-K1 Mounted Directly to Breadboard using 1/4"-20 to 8-32 Adapter

Through thermal changes and vibrations, the Polaris kinematic mirror mounts are designed to provide years of use. Below are some usage tips to ensure that the mount provides optimal performance.

Match Materials
Due to its relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion, stainless steel was chosen as the material from which to fabricate the front and back plates of the Polaris mounts. When mounting, we recommend using components fabricated from the same material, such as our Ø25 mm Posts for Polaris Mirror Mounts and Polaris Clamping Arm.

Use a Wide Post
The Polaris' performance is optimized for use with our Ø25 mm Posts and our non-bridging clamping arms. These posts are made of stainless steel and provide two lines of contact with the mount, which help confine the bottom of the mount during variations in the surrounding temperature, thereby minimizing potential alignment issues.

Optic Mounting
Since an optic is prone to movement within its mounting bore, all optics should be mounted with the Polaris out of the setup to ensure accurate mounting that will minimize misalignment effects. We recommend using a torque wrench when installing an optic in the Polaris mounts. Over torquing the flexure-spring optic retainer can result in dramatic surface distortions.

Front Plate’s Position
The Ø25 mm Polaris mount is designed to allow adjustments of up to 8°. To achieve the best performance, it is recommended that the front plate be kept as close to parallel to the back plate as possible. This ensures the highest stability of the adjustments.

Mount as Close to the Table’s Surface as Possible
To minimize the impact of vibrations and temperature changes, it is recommended that your setup has as low of a profile as possible. Using short posts will reduce the Y-axis translation caused by temperature variations and will minimize any movements caused by vibrations. Mount the Polaris directly onto a flat surface such as a breadboard using a 1/4"-20 to 8-32 thread adapter (AE8E25E) or M6 x 1.0 to M4 x 0.7 adapter (AE4M6M). By doing so, the instability introduced by a post will be eliminated. For direct mounting, knobs cannot be used on bottom adjusters, as shown in the photo to the right.

Polish and Clean the Points of Contact
We highly recommend that the points of contact between the mount and the post, as well as the post and the table, are clean and free of scratches or defects. For best results, we recommend using a polishing stone to clean the table’s surface and a LFG1P polishing pad for the top and bottom of the post as well as the bottom of the mount.

Use Polaris-Specific Adjustment Tools
We offer stainless steel knobs for most of our Polaris adjusters, either included with the mount or available separately. For Polaris mounts with side hole adjusters, we recommend using the SA1 Side Hole Adjustment Tool, which features a precision-fit tip designed for the side holes to allow backlash-free adjustment. The stainless steel material is chemically cleaned for use in clean setups. For securing adjuster lock nuts on these Polaris mounts, we recommend using the TW13 torque wrench below, which is designed to ensure proper torque is applied to the lock nuts for long-term locking. These wrenches are chemically cleaned and compatible with cleanroom and vacuum chamber applications.

Not Recommended
We do not recommend taking the adjusters out of the back plate, as it can contaminate the threading. This can reduce the fine adjustment performance significantly. Also, do not pull the front plate away as it might stretch the springs beyond their operating range or crack the sapphire seats. Finally, do not over tighten the setscrew on the monolithic optic retention arm; only slight force is required to secure the optic in place.