Vacuum-deposited thin film polarizing elements for use with linearly and circularly polarized light at visible and near-infrared wavelengths

Ian J. Hodgkinson; Qihong Wu; Karen E. Thorn; Matthew D. Arnold

doi:10.1117/12.390586

30 June 2000 Vacuum-deposited thin film polarizing elements for use with linearly and circularly polarized light at visible and near-infrared wavelengths

Ian J. Hodgkinson, Qihong Wu, Karen E. Thorn, Matthew D. Arnold

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4097, Complex Mediums; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.390586
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2000, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The serial bideposition (SBD) technique is used to produce biaxial thin films with large linear birefringence and chiral (handed) media with large circular birefringence. Thin film wave plates and chiral reflectors of SBD silicon that have been fabricated show promise for applications in the wavelength range 800-2200nm. In particular we have deposited quarter-wave plates of metric thickness less than 1micrometers for the 800nm wavelength used in CD players, and half-wave plates of metric thickness about 3micrometers for the 1550nm optical communications wavelength. An observation of the Bragg resonance in a silicon chiral film in the 600-800nm wavelength range where the absorption is high but the linear birefringence is approximately equals 0.35, suggests possible applications even at the 633 HeNe wavelength. Polarizing elements that we have designed and fabricated for use with circularly polarized light in the visible and near infrared spectral regions are described. These include a two-layer Fabry-Perot filter that uses a structural phase discontinuity instead of a physical spacer layer to define the wavelength of a narrow spectral hole at the center of the Bragg dip. Further strategies, also based on phase discontinuities, are explored for adapting other filter designs from isotropic thin film filter theory to the circular case.

Citation Download Citation

Ian J. Hodgkinson, Qihong Wu, Karen E. Thorn, and Matthew D. Arnold "Vacuum-deposited thin film polarizing elements for use with linearly and circularly polarized light at visible and near-infrared wavelengths", Proc. SPIE 4097, Complex Mediums, (30 June 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.390586

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