Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026
07:37
Preparation of Macroporous Epitaxial Quartz Films on Silicon by Chemical Solution Deposition
Published on: December 21, 2015
Achromatic quarter-wave plate using crystalline quartz.
Arijit Saha1, Kallol Bhattacharya, Ajoy Kumar Chakraborty
1Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering, B P Poddar Institute of Management & Technology 137, Kolkata, India. arijit_sh@yahoo.com
Applied Optics
|April 27, 2012
Summary
This study designed two achromatic wave plates for broadband light applications. One design offers high precision with minimal angular variation, proving effective for optical instruments.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Achromatic wave plates are crucial for tunable lasers, broadband sources, and astronomical instruments.
- Existing wave plate designs may have limitations in broadband spectral performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and characterize two novel quarter-wave achromatic retarders.
- To evaluate their performance in the 500-700 nm spectral range.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a cascaded system of two birefringent plates.
- Employed the Jones matrix formalism to derive expressions for retardation and azimuth.
- Analyzed the angular variation and azimuth stability of the retarders.
Main Results:
- The first retarder design exhibited minimal angular variation (< ±0.5°).
- The second retarder design showed a larger variation (±4°) but maintained a constant azimuth.
- A comparison between the two cascaded systems was performed.
Conclusions:
- The proposed cascaded birefringent plate arrangements show promise for creating effective achromatic wave plate combinations.
- These designs are suitable for applications requiring achromatic performance over a specific spectral range.
