Narrow wavelength polarizing beamsplitter

Details Narrow wavelength polarizing beamsplitter Narrow wavelength polarizing beamsplitter

1996-04-12

1998-10-27

Shafer, Ricky D.

Optical: systems and elements

Polarization without modulation

Polarizarion by dichroism

359495, 359498, 359583, G02B 530, G02B 2728, G02B 110

Patent

active

058284893

ABSTRACT:
A polarizing beamsplitter includes a gradient index film, such as a rugate filter, embedded in an optical medium. The rugate filter is comprises a thin film having a sinusoidal variation in refractive index through its thickness. The embedding medium may include a pair of prisms with the rugate filter between joining faces of the prisms. The rugate filter is embedded so that an incident beam in the embedding medium forms an angle with respect to a normal from the plane of the rugate filter. Embedded at a non-orthogonal angle, the rugate filter is highly transmissive for both the p- and s-polarized broadband components of the incident beam. The beamsplitter is highly reflective, however, at an s-polarization narrow wavelength reflection band determined by the refractive index variations of the rugate filter. Polarizing beamsplitters may be fabricated with multiple reflection bands, including reflection bands in spectral regions other than the visible spectrum. The polarizing beamsplitter can function as a polarizer, a beamsplitter, or a polarizing beamsplitter. An advantage of the invention is efficient reflection of s-polarized light at specific narrow wavelengths with high transmission of s-polarizations at all other wavelengths and p-polarizations at all wavelengths.

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Banning, "Practical Methods of Making and Using Multilyaer Filters," Journal of the Optical Society of America, vol. 37, No. 10, pp. 792-797 (Oct. 1947).
Johnson et al., "Introduction to Rugate Filter Technology," SPIE, vol. 2046, pp. 88-108 (1993).

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