STC Series Collimators. IR System Testing Collimators

The STC Series Off-axis Newtonian Collimators from Santa Barbara Infrared provide superior performance in a compact, light weight, readily integrated package. These collimators accurately project blackbody energy at infinite focus for critical IR system testing.

The athermal design of SBIR’s STC Series Collimators gives them immunity from the effects of ambient temperature changes. The all aluminum diamond-turned optical system guarantees stable boresight alignment. Light weight, rugged construction makes these collimators ideal for laboratory, depot and field applications.

STC collimators integrate with SBIR’s blackbodies and target wheels to create the 14000 Series Target Projectors. These target projectors are available in many standard sizes to meet the requirements of most FLIR systems. Additionally, their modular design allows for easy customization of components. These turnkey systems are ideally suited for FLIR tests such as MRT, MDT, NEDT, and Boresight.

Rugged Athermal Design
The STC Series Collimator is a simple rugged structure based on the inherent stiffness of a tube. The aluminum primary mirror is flexure mounted to eliminate stress. Athermal design allows boresight accuracy to be maintained over widely varying temperatures. The collimators are equipped with both a tripod mount and a three-point leveling mount. Rate arm adapters can be supplied to meet specific customer applications.

High Resolution Optics
The STC Collimators use an all reflective off-axis Newtonian design which is free from obscuration. It is ideal for broad band applications in both the 3-5 and 8-14 micron bands. This cost-effective design delivers diffraction-limited performance on axis, making it suitable for high spatial frequency target projection.

Diamond Turned Mirrors
Diamond turned mirrors are standard in the STC collimator systems. These mirrors are fabricated using state of the art equipment to produce a low scatter finish. They are coated with aluminum, plus a protective silicon monoxide overcoat. As an option, glass optics are available, which may be desirable for certain laser and short wavelength visible test applications.

Alignment Features
The diamond turned primary mirror incorporates an integral precision reference flat for verification of collimator alignment. Another alignment feature is a three point mount on the front of the collimator bulkhead which defines a plane normal to the optical axis. This can be used to position a flat mirror for focusing the collimator, as well as for alignment of the collimator to the unit under test.

Source Mounting
The versatile mounting platform is designed to accept a target wheel, illuminator, and differential blackbody source. Other sources such as lasers, high temperature blackbodies, and visible sources can be easily mounted on the optical platform.

STC Series Collimators are specified by model number corresponding to aperture and focal length. (i.e. STC 840 = 8" aperture, 40" focal length). Al+SiO coated diamond-turned mirrors are standard; glass optics should be specified, if desired, by adding the suffix "Z" to the model number. Coating of glass optics should be specified.

Information subject to change without notice