The waveplate's behavior is affected by the crystal's thickness, the light's wavelength, and changes in the refractive index. It is possible to introduce a controlled phase shift between the two polarization components of a light wave, modifying its polarization, by carefully selecting the connection between these parameters. Alfa Chemistry offers a variety of polarization waveplates for customer applications, including achromatic waveplates, mid-infrared waveplates, and crystalline quartz waveplates.
Waveplate Types
- Achromatic waveplates provide relatively constant phase delays over a wide spectral range, while super achromatic waveplates provide nearly constant delays over a wider spectral range. In contrast, zero- and multistage waveplates produce strong wavelength-dependent delays.
- The typical mid-infrared waveplate is manufactured from a single piece of superior magnesium fluoride (MgF2). Its delay is two wavelengths. In addition to the delay predetermined by design, the delay of the light passing through the mid-infrared wave sheet has an equal multiple of one wavelength or half wavelength offset. A single MgF2 substrate is more dispersion-resistant than a zero-stage substrate created by fusing two multi-stage waveplates together because it is thinner.
- Crystalline quartz waveplates are single crystals of quartz that rotate the polarization of the incident light independent of the alignment between the rotator and the polarization of the light. This is due to the optical activity of quartz in relation to the crystal structure.
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