Abstract
A computer compatible digital scanning system has been developed to simplify the controls of a narrowband pulsed tunable dye laser so that operation is analogous to scanning a spectrometer. The system is an accessory to the nitrogen laser-pumped DL-Series dye laser which incorporates both grating and etalon as the wavelength selecting elements. The grating is rotated with a mechanical sine drive so that wavelength response is linear. Linewidth of the laser without etalon is 0.1A and scanning is achieved with a stepping motor. Inserting an etalon into the cavity reduces the linewidth to 0.01A and tuning is achieved by tilting the etalon. However, since the etalon wavelength change depends on the grating wavelength and decreases as the square of the tilt angle, wavelength synchronization to the grating becomes difficult. In our system a digital computation accurate to 0.01% linearizes the etalon response to match that of the grating. Single scans of 3A and multiple scans of 30A can be achieved without loss of wavelength synchronization. Analog and digital wavelength readout to 0.01A and computer compatibility are included. System details and sample data are presented.