What is a wedge prism?

A prism is a triangular prism made of a transparent substance. Glass or plastic is used as the material. When a parallel ray or laser beam is applied to a prism, it is reflected or refracted. Wedge prisms, also known as risley prisms, are prisms with tilted optical surfaces. Normally, one side is tilted at a very small angle with respect to the other side. The light that enters the wedge prism is refracted to the thicker side, so it is used to refract the light at a special angle.

Application of wedge prism

Wedge prisms are used in applications that declinate (deflect) light to minute angles. The deviation angle is the angle created by the incident and emitted rays in the refraction of light by the prism, and it depends on the apex angle of the prism (the angle facing the base of the triangle) and the refractive index. It can be used for beam steering by itself or in combination with other wedge prisms. Beam steering components are an integral part of many laser-mounted optical systems and are also used in endoscope laser scalpels and the like.

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