Biaxial thin-film coated-plate polarizing beam splitters

Abstract

We present a design for a biaxial thin-film coated-plate polarizing beam splitter that transmits the p-polarized component of a beam of light without change of direction and reflects the s-polarized component. The beam splitter has a periodic structure and is planned for fabrication by serial bideposition in mutually orthogonal planes. Recent experimental data for form-birefringent silicon is used to establish the feasibility of the design for a beam splitter to be used at 1310 nm and at an angle of 45°in air.

Developing 1D nanostructure arrays for future nanophotonics

“…These techniques have been demonstrated to allow fabrication of single-material optical interference coatings [35], broadband antireflection coatings [36], and other photonic crystals [37,38]. While fractal scaling effects have been found to limit the utility of these films for some applications [39,40], these atomic-scale architectures appear to be uniquely functional three-dimensional (3-D) organized materials [41][42][43][44].…”

Polarizing beam splitter cube for circularly and elliptically polarized light

“…Polarizing beam-splitter (PBS) cubes are essential components in many optical systems including: polarimeters [1], interferometers [2,3], microscopes, display, and imaging instruments. Conventional PBS cubes, such as the MacNeille design [4], are based on numerous layers of thin-films between the two right-angle prisms of the cube [5][6][7][8]. Such devices are only operational for linear polarization states.…”

Use of <inline-formula><math display="inline" overflow="scroll"><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>Ta</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub><msub><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">O</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>5</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></math></inline-formula> biaxial thin film as a high-efficiency polarization converter

“…Anisotropic optical thin films have been extensively adopted in developing optical polarizing devices, including phase retardation devices, 1,2 polarization-selective beam splitters, 3,4 and antireflective filters. 5 In contrast to conventional optical polarizing devices that are constructed from isotropic thin films, such devices perform better in manipulating the polarization state of electromagnetic waves because an anisotropic thin film (ATF) exhibits birefringence.…”

“…This method utilizes physical vapor deposition to deposit films on a substrate that is tilted at a deposition angle to the vapor source. 1, the birefringence properties of these films originate from the nanostructure and the orientation of the three principal axes (1,2,3) so that axis 1 is in the columnar growth direction; axis 2 is in the deposition plane; and axis 3 is perpendicular to the deposition plane, i.e., the plane defined by the surface normal and the columns. Deposition angle α refers to the angle between substrate normal and the incident direction of the vapor flux, while column angle β refers to the angle between substrate normal and the direction of column growth.…”