Photoaligned liquid-crystal polymers create vortex retarders

March 1, 2008
Optical designers require radially and azimuthally polarized beams to improve performance of systems like confocal microscopes and lithography systems.

Optical designers require radially and azimuthally polarized beams to improve performance of systems like confocal microscopes and lithography systems. Scientists at JDSU (Santa Rosa, CA) and the University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) recently reported the use of photoaligned liquid-crystal polymers (LCP) to develop vortex retarders—monolithic components that have constant retardance but a fast axis rotating around a point. To create half-wave vortex retarders with a continuously varying fast axis of m = 1, 2, 3 modes at 550 nm, the researchers fabricated samples on 2 in. squares of Corning 1737F glass with a broadband antireflection coating and a photoalignment layer set via exposure to linearly polarized ultraviolet light. The thickness of the LCP determined the retardance value. The team analyzed the elements theoretically and experimentally by comparing the expected space-variant Mueller matrix of each component to the measured one. The measured and calculated point-spread matrix showed close agreement, and the samples showed excellent retardance uniformity of 98.5%. Such polarization components of single or higher orders are useful in creating nondiffracting Bessel fields, which can be used to enlarge the particle-trapping region of optical tweezers. Contact Scott McEldowney at [email protected].

Sponsored Recommendations

How to Tune Servo Systems: Force Control

Oct. 23, 2024
Tuning the servo system to meet or exceed the performance specification can be a troubling task, join our webinar to learn to optimize performance.

Laser Machining: Dynamic Error Reduction via Galvo Compensation

Oct. 23, 2024
A common misconception is that high throughput implies higher speeds, but the real factor that impacts throughput is higher accelerations. Read more here!

Boost Productivity and Process Quality in High-Performance Laser Processing

Oct. 23, 2024
Read a discussion about developments in high-dynamic laser processing that improve process throughput and part quality.

Precision Automation Technologies that Minimize Laser Cut Hypotube Manufacturing Risk

Oct. 23, 2024
In this webinar, you will discover the precision automation technologies essential for manufacturing high-quality laser-cut hypotubes. Learn key processes, techniques, and best...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!