Why Do Other Lasers Require Alignment On-site by the End User?
The reason other laser systems need to be checked on-site for alignment is that two or three separate components are used to get the beam from the laser source to the sample. For example, laser modules that are inserted into the fluorescent light port also must have a dichroic mirror inserted in the filter cube port, and the objective attached to the turret (see illustration below). That makes three separate components that must stay aligned at all times. Every time the module or filter cube is removed and reinserted, or the microscope is moved, alignment must be checked. In systems where physical laser alignment cannot be locked, for the highest precision in physical beam alignment, there should be two available methods of adjusting the laser beam: 1) angularly and, 2) translationally (left to right, up and down). In the ZILOS-tk, these four components are housed in close proximity within the same module. Thus, once the laser is aligned and locked down, it stays aligned.
