Polarizer examples

Polarizers are defined by a few key parameters, some of which are specific to polarization optics. The most important characteristics are:

Brewster windows are uncoated windows that are placed at Brewster’s angle. A single Brewster window has a relatively poor extinction ratio. While this extinction ratio is sufficient for many laser cavity applications due to the many round trips in this cavity, for other applications it can be enhanced by placing multiple Brewster windows in succession (also called a pile of plates). Due to the dependence on the Fresnel equations the acceptance angle is very small for Brewster windows, limiting their use to tightly collimated beams. View Product

Consisting of a polymer polarization film layered between two flat pieces of optical glass, NIR Linear Polarizers are ideal for NIR sources including low power lasers and LEDs. View Product

Wollaston prisms are birefringent polarizers that are designed to transmit but separate both polarizations. In contrast with the Glan-type polarizers, both beams are completely polarized and usable. The orthogonally polarized beams exit the polarizer symmetrically at a wavelength dependent angle from the incident beam. View Product

Technological advancements in the eyewear industry have improved lens quality and functionality, allowing for clearer and more comfortable vision. One such innovation is the anti-reflective (AR) coating. This simple addition to your lenses can tremendously impact your visual experience, reducing glare, improving clarity, and enhancing overall comfort.

Polarizer Filter

Acceptance angle: The acceptance angle is the largest deviation from design incidence angle at which the polarizer will still perform within specifications. Most polarizers are designed to work at an incidence angle of 0° or 45°, or at Brewster’s angle. The acceptance angle is important for alignment but has particular importance when working with non-collimated beams. Wire grid and dichroic polarizers have the largest acceptance angles, up to a full acceptance angle of almost 90°.

Whether or not you need AR coating depends on your lifestyle and unique visual needs. Here are some scenarios where AR coating glasses can be beneficial:

Optical path length: The length light must travel through the polarizer. Important for dispersion, damage thresholds, and space constraints, optical path lengths can be significant in birefringent polarizers but are usually short in dichroic polarizers.

Reflective polarizers transmit the desired polarization and reflect the rest. They either use a wire grid, Brewster’s angle, or interference effects. Brewster’s angle is the angle at which, based on the Fresnel equations, only s-polarized light is reflected. Because the p-polarized light is not reflected while the s-polarized light is partially reflected, the transmitted light is enriched in p-polarization.

Clear aperture: The clear aperture is typically most restrictive for birefringent polarizers as the availability of optically pure crystals limits the size of these polarizers. Dichroic polarizers have the largest available clear apertures as their fabrication lends itself to larger sizes.

Anti-reflective coating, also known as anti-glare coating, is a transparent, ultra-thin layer applied to the surface of eyeglass lenses. Its primary function is to reduce the reflections from the surfaces of your lenses. By minimizing the intensity of these reflections, AR enhances the amount of light that passes through the lenses, improving vision and reducing eye strain in various environments.

With Damage Thresholds up to 0.3 J/cm2 @ 200 fs @ 800nm, these Ultrafast Thin Film Polarizers are ideal for high powered Ti:Sapphire and Ytterbium doped lasers in the NIR range. These polarizers impart minimal dispersion when separating S and P polarizations and are available in transmissive and reflective versions. View Product

Some people think that AR coatings are an unnecessary expense. However, considering the benefits of reduced glare, improved vision, and enhanced comfort, many users find the investment worthwhile. AR coatings can prolong the lifespan of your lenses by reducing the need for frequent replacements because of scratches or damage.

Dichroic polarizers transmit the desired polarization and absorb the rest. This is achieved via anisotropy in the polarizer; common examples are oriented polymer molecules and stretched nanoparticles. This is a broad class of polarizers, going from low cost laminated plastic polarizers to precision high cost glass nanoparticle polarizers. Most dichroic polarizers have good extinction ratios relative to their cost. Their damage thresholds and environmental stability are often limited, although glass dichroic polarizers outperform plastic dichroic polarizers in this aspect. Dichroic polarizers are well suited for microscopy, imaging and display applications, and are often the only choice when very large apertures are necessary.

PolarizersPhysics

TECHSPEC High Energy Laser Line Polarizers are used to transmit P-polarized light while reflecting S-polarized light. With high laser damage thresholds and extinction ratios for optimal performance, these polarizers are ideal for a wide range of laser applications. The UV grade fused silica substrate maximizes performance, while the hard anti-reflection coating makes these durable polarizers easy to clean and simple to align. View Product

Thorlabs polarizer

Don’t let glare and reflections interfere with your vision and comfort. Schedule an eye exam with in and visit our optical center to explore the wide range of AR-coated lenses we offer.

Damage threshold: The laser damage threshold is determined by the material used as well as the polarizer design, with birefringent polarizers typically having the highest damage threshold. Cement is often the most susceptible element to laser damage, which is why optically contacted beamsplitters or air spaced birefringent polarizers have higher damage thresholds.

Thin Film polarizers utilize a thin-film dielectric coating to separate a beam into s- and p-polarization, commonly at a 45 degree AOI. They are often specified for optimal transmission/reflection performance at laser line wavelengths.

Polarization is an important characteristic of light. Polarizers are key optical elements for controlling your polarization, transmitting a desired polarization state while reflecting, absorbing or deviating the rest. There is a wide variety of polarizer designs, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. To help you select the best polarizer for your application, we will discuss polarizer specifications as well as the different classes of polarizer designs.

Extinction Ratio and Degree of Polarization: The polarizing properties of a linear polarizer are typically defined by the degree of polarization or polarization efficiency, P, and its extinction ratio, ρp. Following the formalism given in the Handbook of Optics, the principal transmittances of the polarizer are T1 and T2. T1 is the maximum transmission of the polarizer and occurs when the axis of the polarizer is parallel to the plane of polarization of the incident polarized beam. T2 is the minimum transmission of the polarizer and occurs when the axis of the polarizer is perpendicular to the plane of polarization of the incident polarized beam.

polarizer中文

Many believe that AR coatings attract more dirt and smudges than non-coated lenses. While it’s true that fingerprints and smudges may appear more visible on AR-coated lenses, modern AR coatings often include hydrophobic and oleophobic properties that repel water and oils, making them easier to clean than ever before.

Half wave plate

Linear Glass Polarizing Filters are ideal for OEM integration and prototyping. With a fair surface flatness, they balance exceptional polarization performance (95% polarization efficiency) with a less robust extinction ratio, and feature a single filter transmission of 30%. View Product

Similar to the High Contrast Plastic Linear Polarizers, High Contrast Linear Polarizing Film is another option for imaging applications requiring polarizers with flexibility in shape and rigidity. Polarizing Film is available in sheets with a variety of thicknesses, and can be cut to size or fashioned to a desired shape. View Product

Wire grid polarizers consist of many thin wires arranged parallel to each other. Light that is polarized along the direction of these wires is reflected, while light that is polarized perpendicular to these wires is transmitted. Because the principle of parallel wires is wavelength independent, wire grid polarizers cover a very large wavelength range well into the IR, limited by material or AR coating absorption. This design is very robust, with excellent environmental stability and a large acceptance angle. While most wire grid polarizers use glass substrates, thin film wire grid polarizers offer a more economical solution. View Product

Glan-Taylor polarizers have a higher optical damage threshold than Glan-Thompson due to an air gap instead of cement in between the two constituent prisms. They have a shorter optical path length but also a smaller acceptance angle than Glan-Thompson polarizers. View Product

Construction: Polarizers come in many forms and designs. Thin film polarizers are thin films similar to optical filters. Polarizing plate beamsplitters are thin, flat plates placed at an angle to the beam. Polarizing cube beamsplitters consist of two right angle prisms mounted together at the hypotenuse. Birefringent polarizers consist of two crystalline prisms mounted together, where the angle of the prisms is determined by the specific polarizer design.

Broadband polarizing plate beamsplitters are coated windows, placed at an angle, that transmit p-polarization and reflect s-polarization. The coating on the plate generally works in either interference or internal Brewster’s angle principles. In contrast to many birefringent polarizers, both the reflected and transmitted beams are usable. These beamsplitters are useful in weight or space constrained applications and where laser damage threshold and a short optical path length are important. A disadvantage is the appearance of ghost reflections from the second surface and beam deviation. These also exist in ultrafast versions which are ideal for femtosecond pulsed lasers. View Product

High Contrast Glass Linear Polarizers offer very high extinction ratios and have exceptional surface flatness for optical grade wavefront qualities. They are anti-reflection (AR) coated to minimize light loss from reflection and achieve a transmission of approximately 25% for randomly polarized visible light (400 – 700nm). High Contrast Glass Linear Polarizers are available in a large variety of sizes. View Product

Circular polarizers are not a separate type of polarizer, as they are the combination of a linear polarizer with a correctly aligned quarter waveplate. The polarizer linearly polarizers the incident light, and the quarter waveplate at 45° turns this linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light. The advantage is that the polarizer and waveplate axes are always aligned correctly relative to each other so no alignment is necessary and there is no concern of generating elliptically polarized light. They are ideal for reducing flare in imaging applications and are available in left and right-handed versions. View Product

Cost: Some polarizers require large, very pure crystals, which are expensive, while others are made of stretched plastic, which make them more economical.

Due to their high extinction ratios, along with their exceptional transmission in the visible spectrum (400 – 700nm), High Contrast Linear Polarizers are an ideal choice for applications involving imaging. Aside from surface flatness and extinction ratio, these plastic substrate polarizers are a high performance and cost-effective alternative to High Contrast Glass Linear Polarizers with more durability than polarizing film. View Product

Polarization

The extinction performance of a linear polarizer is often expressed as 1 / ρp : 1. This parameter ranges from less than 100:1 for economical sheet polarizers to 106:1 for high quality birefringent crystalline polarizers. The extinction ratio typically varies with wavelength and incident angle and must be evaluated along with other factors like cost, size, and polarized transmission for a given application.

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ITOS GmbH is a division of Edmund Optics that has provided both custom and off-the shelf polarization solutions to the German and European markets since 1993. The ITOS division expands Edmund Optics' polarization manufacturing and metrology capabilities, providing customers with a wider range of standard and custom polarization optics.

Mounted Linear Glass Polarizing Filters come in a variety of standard thread sizes and are able to be threaded into imaging systems to reduce glare and hot spots. Additionally, they can be stacked for variable optical density effects. View Product

Glan-Laser polarizers are special versions of Glan-Taylor polarizers with a high laser damage threshold. These typically have higher quality crystals, better polished surfaces and the rejected beam is allowed to escape via escape windows, decreasing unwanted internal reflections and thermal damage due to the absorption of the rejected beam. View Product

Polarizer material

Glan-Thompson polarizers have the largest acceptance angle of the Glan-type polarizers. Cement is used to join the prisms together, which causes a low optical damage threshold. View Product

Rochon prisms are similar to Wollaston prisms in that both beams are transmitted, but in this polarizer one beam is transmitted undeviated while the other is transmitted at wavelength dependent angle. View Product

Insert main image shown at top of tool here Looking for a custom polarizer? Edmund Optics® offers custom polymer polarizers and retarders in a wide range of film types, sizes, and shapes. Products include linear and circular polymer polarizers, and retarders. To obtain pricing information for our most popular laser-cut polarizing films please enter your requirements below. If you cannot find what you are looking for please contact our product support team and we will be happy to assist you with your enquiry.

Broadband polarizing cube beamsplitters are similar to polarizing plate beamsplitters, but the coating is placed in between two right angle prisms. Mounting and aligning polarizing cube beamsplitters is easier than plate beamsplitters and there is less beam deviation, but they have a longer optical path length, take up more space and weigh more. They are ideal for collimated light sources and are more efficient than wire grid polarizing cube beamsplitters. (Non-polarizing cube beamsplitters exist as well; for more information on these, please read What are Beamsplitters?) View Product

Wire Grid Polarizing Cube Beamsplitters are polarizing cube beamsplitters that use a wire grid polarizer in between the hypotenuses of the two prisms. These polarizers combine the easy alignment of polarizing cube beamsplitters with the large angle acceptance and environmental stability of wire grid polarizers. View Product

Another common myth is that these coatings are delicate and prone to scratching. However, lens technology advancements have significantly improved AR coatings' durability. Many AR-coated lenses now come with scratch-resistant properties, making them as robust as any standard lens.

Transmission: This value either refers to the transmission of light polarized linearly in the direction of the polarization axis, or to the transmission of unpolarized light through the polarizer. Parallel transmission is the transmission of unpolarized light through two polarizers with their polarization axes aligned in parallel, while crossed transmission is the transmission of unpolarized light through two polarizers with their polarization axes crossed. For ideal polarizers transmission of linearly polarized light parallel to the polarization axis is 100%, parallel transmission is 50% and crossed transmission is 0%. This can be calculated with Malus’ law as described in Introduction to Polarization.

Birefringent polarizers transmit the desired polarization and deviate the rest. They rely on birefringent crystals, where the refractive index of light depends on its polarization. Unpolarized light at non-normal incidence will split into two separate beams upon entering the crystal, as the refraction for s- and p-polarized light will be different. Most designs consist of two joined birefringent prisms, where the angle they are joined at and the relative orientation of their optical axes determine the functionality of the polarizer. Because these polarizers require optically pure crystals they are expensive, but have high laser damage thresholds, excellent extinction ratios and broad wavelength ranges.

At in , we strive to provide our patients with the latest lens technology to ensure optimal vision and eye health. Our anti-reflective coatings deliver the best visual experience, helping you see clearly and comfortably in all lighting conditions.