The Laser Alignment Accessory securely mounts a small Helium Neon laser (or other) to the slits of McPherson monochromators as well as to selected accessories. There are locking tip/tilt adjustments for the laser alignment so that it can be set true to the optical axis. It is useful in tracing the light path through the optics when aligning systems and also for setting sample chamber optics and other ancillary optical devices as input telescopes or collimators.

The vacuum compatible Laser Alignment Accessory is available in two versions, one for o-ring sealed vacuum to 10^-6 torr and the other, ultra high vacuum (10^-10 torr.) It securely mounts a small Helium Neon laser (or other) to the slits of McPherson monochromators. There are locking tip/tilt adjustments for the laser alignment so that it can be set true to the optical axis. A steering mirror may be inserted into the optical axis to direct the laser towards or away from the instrument. It is retracted to allow clear beam passage when not in use.

The alignment accessory is useful in many applications. For example, in many applications it is important to align, determine field of view, and calibrate spectrometers and detection system. This can be challenging under vacuum conditions. The alignment accessory can also help set optimal light collection from vacuum sources (Deuterium or Hollow Cathode) with respect to emitted source energy. This accessory allows to freely float a source point at the spectrometer's entrance aperture. This enables interception of sections of a hollow cathode plasma, for instance, or, spatial confirmation of peak plasma emission. Useful for any UHV or standard vacuum spectrometer system in which repeated venting to atmospheric pressure would be required during source alignment.