Techniques in using UV adhesives for optomechanical designs

Optomechanical bonding or mounting with adhesives has demanding requirements which are more severe than most other bonding applications. Stress must be minimized to prevent optical distortion and must be considered over the entire operating temperature. No failures are desired along the bondline and bonded components must remain precisely located over their entire lifetime. UV Curing adhesives can offer advantages for fastening or mounting of optics if the mechanical design is configured to take advantage of the handling characteristics of the adhesive. Use of these materials simplifies any process that requires critical alignment or exact positioning. This paper describes some of the considerations which must be taken in order to choose the best UV adhesive and how to control them for maximum performance in a system.