How can two cylindrical lenses can be used to form a laser sheet?

[photonlz]

Homework Statement

If you look at the below link under 'Laser Sheet', https://www.edmundoptics.com/campaigns/cylinder-lens/

The equation is much easier for a single line generator. I am stuck at the point where I use a second lens. Say for the sheet, input beam dia is 5mm and working distance L is 100mm, I use 'x = (d/EFL) (L + EFL)' for the 1st lens, then at which distance from the 1st lens do I keep the 2nd lens and how do I choose the FL of the 2nd lens. And how to use 'x = (d/EFL) (L + EFL)' for the 2nd lens (especially about the L part).

Relevant Equations

x = (d/EFL) (L + EFL)

Would you be able to help me figure out the equation to be used at both lenses to get the final light sheet?

 

[DaveE]

I don't understand your question. What is the difference between a "laser line" and a "laser sheet"?

I guess you want a finite laser line at the target with essentially no divergence? For this you need to design a telescope, except in only 1 dimension. It's the same as a normal (2-D) telescope, except with aligned cylindrical lenses so one axis isn't ever modified. Search for something like "telescope design", or maybe "beam expander".

 

[DaveE]

https://opentextbc.ca/universityphysicsv3openstax/chapter/microscopes-and-telescopes/

 

[berkeman]

I don't understand your question. What is the difference between a "laser line" and a "laser sheet"?

I think since you can use a cylindrical lens to expand a beam into a line (say in the y-direction), he would like to use a 2nd cylindrical lens that the line hits to expand it into a 2-D illumination area (in both the x- and y-directions). Seems like you'd get a lot of aberration content by doing that though...

 

[DaveE]

I think since you can use a cylindrical lens to expand a beam into a line (say in the y-direction), he would like to use a 2nd cylindrical lens that the line hits to expand it into a 2-D illumination area (in both the x- and y-directions). Seems like you'd get a lot of aberration content by doing that though...

You can do that with a conventional (circularly symmetric lens), I think. Unless you want different divergence in the two axis. For example, laser diode collimators use lenses that are a combination of two cylindrical lenses (one piece of glass, normally) with different focal lengths in the two axes. This allows collimation of the fast and slow axis of the beam, which have different divergence.