A setup for measuring the refractive index of a plane-parallel ceramic plate using the optical beam shift method

A setup for measuring the refractive indices of transparent solid samples of optical ceramics using shifts of a beam by a plane-parallel plate in a wavelength range of 400–1200 nm was developed. The minimum cross-sectional sizes of the investigated objects are 5–12 mm, and their thicknesses are 0.3–1.0 mm. A standard sample and a precise system for forming and recording optical signals equipped with a stepping motor with a step discreteness of <1 μm were used to improve the measurement accuracy of the refractive index. The cross-sectional size of the measuring beam is ?1 mm. The accuracy in determining the refractive index is ±0.004.