Design and Fabrication of a Prototype Actuator for Fourier Transform Interferometry

The design, fabrication and characterisation of an uniaxial scanning mirror component for interferometry applications is presented. The device is fabricated in fused silica by means of femtosecond laser irradiation and a selective etching step. The fabricated actuator produces bidirectional, repeatable sinusoidal motion with a displacement (200 μm) larger than the wavelengths under investigation (300–700 nm), rendering it suitable for application within an interferometry setup. This indicates that future fabrication of fully integrated interferometer measurement devices in fused silica are realisable.