An adjustable-optical prism with integral-polarizing beam splitter and applications thereof

摘要

An optical device, such as an optical digital data recorder, includes a variable optical wedge in the light path. The variable wedge facilitates assembly by a two-step adjustment process; the first step aligns a light receptor portion to receive an input light beam at an angle so as to remove ellipticity from the input beam while the second subsequent step adjusts the wedge assembly to align a transmit and reflected light path for optically coupling the wedge to a record medium. The receptor portion includes a semicircular cross-sectioned lens movable disposed in a mating cavity for adjusting the angle of reception independently of the reflected wave position.