Patent ID: 6847450

Claim:
A method of aligning an optical element comprising: positioning an optical element in a starting position; (A) aligning the optical element along a first axis including: moving the optical element through a plurality of positions along the first axis; measuring a power transmitted through the optical element in each of the plurality of positions along the first axis; determining a first peak position along the first axis with substantially a highest power; (B) after aligning the optical element alone the first axis, aligning the optical element along a second axis including: moving the optical element through a plurality of positions along the second axis; measuring the power transmitted through the optical element in each of the plurality of positions along the second axis; determining a second peak position along the second axis with substantially a highest power; (C) after aligning the optical element along the second axis, realigning the optical element along the first axis including: moving the optical element through a second plurality of positions along the first axis while maintaining the optical element at the second peak position relative to the second axis; measuring the power transmitted through the optical element in each of the second plurality of positions along the first axis; determining a revised first peak position along the first axis with substantially a highest power; and (D) after realigning the optical element alone the first axis, aligning the optical element along a third axis including: moving the optical element through a plurality of positions along the third axis; measuring the power transmitted through the optical element in each of the plurality of positions along the third axis; determining a third peak position along the third axis with substantially a highest power.