Description
Wave plates are ideal for controlling and analyzing the polarization state of light. There are three main types of them – zero-order wave plates, multi-order wave plates and achromatic wave plates. Each type has unique advantages depending on the application.
Multi-order wave plates consist of a quartz crystal plate (nominal thickness 0.5 mm) and are the cheapest of the three types.
Their retardation varies with temperature and significantly with wavelength. They are a good choice for using monochromatic light in climate-controlled environments. They are usually coupled to lasers in the laboratory.
In contrast, applications such as mineralogy take advantage of the inherent color shift (retardation vs. wavelength change) of multi-order wave plates.
Retardation and Wavelength of Multi-Order Waveplates
The alternative to traditional crystal quartz wave plates is polymer retardation film. The films are available in a variety of sizes and retardations at a fraction of the price of crystalline wave plates.
In terms of flexibility, thin film retarder has advantages over crystalline quartz in applications. Their thin polymer design allows the film to be easily cut into the desired shape and size.
These films are ideal for applications using LCDs and fiber optics. Polymer retardation films are also available in achromatic versions. However, this film has a low damage threshold and should not be used with high-power light sources such as lasers.
Additionally, its use is limited to the visible spectrum, so UV, NIR or IR applications will require alternatives.
| Material | Single crystal quartz |
| Optical Axis | Facets perpendicular to the circumference of the reducer |
| Wavefront Distortion | λ/10 @ 633 nm |
| Parallelism | < 10 arcsec |
| AR coating | R < 0.4% |
| Laser Damage Threshold | 10 J/cm2, 10 nsec, 1064 nm typical |
| Ø20 mm Waveplate | Ø17 mm Waveplate | |
| Clear aperture | Ø17 mm | Ø11 mm |
| Installation | Ø25.4 mm +0.0/ -0.2 mm | |
| Wave plate nominal thickness | 1÷1.5 mm | 1÷1.5 mm |