Agilent 5517 Series Laser Heads 4022.456.48221 5517DC30 4022.454.71615 5517D-C19 4022.454.71616 5517D-C19

Technical Dossier

Product Details And Specifications

Agilent 5517 Series: Comprehensive Laser Head Range and Technical Overview

The Agilent (formerly HP) 5517 series laser heads are single-frequency, stabilized He-Ne laser sources designed for use with Agilent 5500 and 5530 laser interferometer measurement systems. These units are deployed as the primary metrology light source in high-precision industrial environments including semiconductor wafer steppers, coordinate measuring machines (CMM), precision machine tool calibration, and flat panel display manufacturing. The 5517 series maintains a dominant installed base across global heavy industry — chemical processing plants, nuclear facility instrumentation labs, and petroleum refinery metrology stations — where sub-nanometer displacement measurement is a process-critical requirement. The series covers output power classes from 0.4 mW to 2.0 mW and frequency-stabilized variants optimized for long-path interferometry.

The Evolution of 5517 Architecture

The 5517 series originates from Hewlett-Packard's precision laser metrology division, with commercial deployment beginning in the early 1980s under the HP 5517A designation. The architecture is based on a thermally stabilized He-Ne gas laser cavity with Zeeman splitting to produce two orthogonally polarized frequencies separated by 1.5–3.0 MHz, enabling heterodyne interferometry with high noise immunity.

The transition from HP to Agilent Technologies in 1999 brought no fundamental optical redesign but introduced improved thermal management electronics and tighter frequency stability specifications (±0.002 ppm for stabilized variants). The 5517B introduced a revised beam-conditioning optic assembly; the 5517C added an integrated beam expander option. The 5517D sub-series (5517D-C19, 5517DC30) represents the mature production variant with enhanced EMI shielding and a revised power supply module compatible with 100–240 VAC universal input. Keysight Technologies assumed the product line in 2014 following the Agilent split; current Keysight equivalents are the N7711A and associated laser sources, though these are not pin-compatible replacements for 5517-series interferometer systems.

Compatibility note: All 5517-series laser heads interface to Agilent/Keysight 10885A, 10887A, and 10889B receiver boards via the standard laser head cable (Agilent P/N 10896-60001). Mixing sub-variants (e.g., 5517B with a 5530 displacement measuring interferometer configured for 5517D output power) requires verification of receiver gain settings.

5517 Series Full Catalog & Functionalities (SKU List)

The following SKUs represent verified, commonly stocked models within the Agilent 5517 laser head family. Models are grouped by functional sub-class.

Stabilized He-Ne Laser Heads — Standard Output

Associated Receiver & Interface Modules (5517-Compatible)

• 10885A: Laser measurement receiver board, single-axis, interfaces directly to 5517 series laser head output.
• 10887A: Dual-axis receiver board, supports two simultaneous 5517-series laser inputs.
• 10889B: High-resolution receiver, 1 nm resolution, compatible with 5517D/E/F laser heads.
• 10896-60001: Standard laser head interconnect cable, 5517 series to receiver, 1.5 m.
• N1231A: PCI-bus laser measurement board, replaces 10885A in modern PC-based metrology systems, 5517-series compatible.
• E1736A: VXI-format laser measurement module, 5517-series input, for rack-integrated test systems.

Sourcing Hard-to-Find & Obsolete 5517 Series Parts

The 5517A, 5517B, and 5517C variants were formally discontinued by Agilent prior to the 2014 Keysight transition. The 5517D sub-series (including 5517D-C19 and 5517DC30) entered end-of-life status under Keysight, with last-time-buy periods now closed. No direct new-manufacture replacement exists that is electrically and mechanically interchangeable with installed 5517-series systems.

Quality Control for the 5517 Series Range

Each 5517-series laser head processed by DriveKNMS undergoes a structured verification protocol prior to dispatch. Frequency stability is measured over a minimum 30-minute thermal soak period using a calibrated wavemeter; units must demonstrate ≤±0.005 ppm drift to pass. Output power is measured at the beam exit aperture using a calibrated power meter; minimum acceptable output is 80% of the nominal rated power for the specific sub-variant. Beam polarization extinction ratio is verified using a polarizing beamsplitter and photodetector pair; minimum acceptable ratio is 100:1. The laser head cable connector (10896-60001 interface) is inspected for pin integrity and continuity-tested. Units exhibiting tube end-of-life indicators (output power <60% nominal, inability to stabilize within 15 minutes of warm-up) are classified as non-functional and are not offered for sale. All test data is logged per unit serial number and is available to customers on request.