Polarization Components

Polarization components are used to separate a beam of light into its orthogonal polarization states for isolation or routing. Our standard offering includes both cube and plate polarizers designed to perform under a range of operating conditions, including high power, broad bandwidth, low dispersion, and high extinction. This is achieved using e-beam and advanced plasma dielectric coatings, some capable of greater than 1000:1 extinction ratio. When combined with our precision manufacturing, they result in laser quality plate polarizers with better than λ/10 transmitted wavefront error, and 10 – 5 surface quality. All have antireflection coatings for maximum throughput.

All of these options and more are available when you consider a custom polarizer design. Not only can we work in other materials and at larger or smaller dimensions, but we can optimize the wavelength of the coating to your specific application, or design it for low absorption. Custom polarizing beamsplitter cubes can be manufactured with very high precision angular tolerance and low transmitted wavefront error to minimize impact on the transmitted beam. Let us work with you to find the right combination of coating type, construction, and angle of operation to balance your application and budget.

 

Capabilities

  Standard Custom Options
Types Plate, cube  
Materials N-BK7, UV-grade fused silica, N-SF2  
Dimensions 12.7 to 50.8 mm  From 5 to 101.6 mm
Extinction Ratio 100:1 to 1000:1  
Transmission Efficiency >90% to > 97%  
Coatings
  • Laser line polarizing
  • High energy
  • Wavelengths from 355 to 1064 nm
Other wavelengths (193 - 2100 nm)
Quality  Precision and laser quality See manufacturing tolerances below
Construction (cubes)
  • Optical adhesive contacting
  • Optical contacting
 

Manufacturing Capabilities**

Surface Tolerances Precision Laser Quality
Surface quality (scratch - dig) 20 - 10 10 - 5
Surface roughness (Å, RMS) 20 5
Flat Irregularity,
(P-V @ 633 nm before coating)
λ/4 λ/10
Dimensional Tolerances Standard Precision
Length & width (mm) +0/-0.25 +0/-0.10
Thickness (mm) ± 0.25 ± 0.10
Angular deviation ≤ 5 arc min ≤ 3 arc min
Clear Aperture ≥ 85% ≥ 85%

** Note: The general tolerance specifications above are intended to guide determination of appropriate tolerances based both on relative cost and manufacturability. Part-specific tolerances will vary depending on size, material, shape and aspect ratio. Tighter tolerances may be possible, so please contact us to discuss your custom specifications. All specifications do not need to be from a single column, though trade-offs may be required in order to meet the desired combination of cost and performance.