You offer many types of polarizers. What are some key benefits to help me decide which is best for my application?

Several types of polarizers exist in the optics industry today: crystalline, dichroic, wire-grid and wave plates (retarders). Each has its own unique fabrication method and useful benefits.

Crystalline polarizers are created from naturally birefringent substrates such as calcite, quartz and sapphire. Birefringence is the ability of a substrate to “split” the electromagnetic waves of unpolarized light into their S-polarized and P-polarized states. Crystalline polarizers offer broad transmission performance from visible to IR wavelengths.

Dichroic polarizers, such as our linear polarizers, are created by sandwiching a laminated polymer film between two glass windows (often with an anti-reflection coating applied). They are easy to clean and handle, and affordable.

Wire-grid polarizers are created from thin, finely spaced wires sandwiched between two glass windows. The micro-wires exhibit birefringence since the P-polarized state of incident light contacts a dielectric and is transmitted, while the S-polarized state contacts a mirror and is reflected. They are ideal for high temperature environments.

Waveplates, or retarders, are created from stacks of birefringent polymers or layers of crystalline materials. They allow for control of polarization and are used to change polarization between linear and circular.