Multiband retardation control using multi-twist retarders

We introduce and demonstrate an approach to create highly chromatic retardation spectra across various wave-lengths. The design approach is based on Multi-Twist Retarder (MTR) principle where multiple liquid crystal polymer layers are coated on top of each other on a single substrate. Previous MTRs have been applied to develop broadband achromatic retarders, but here we show that MTRs are quite flexible, and their retardation spectrum can be tuned to create arbitrary profiles. As a representative example, we show this tailorability by creating a retarder which produces approximately zero retardation in visible (500-900 nm) and half-wave retardation in near- infrared (1-2.7 μm) wavelength region. This would provide enhancement in remote sensing, telecom, and spectroscopy systems where it is advantageous to have an optical element which affects only one band, but is largely transparent otherwise. © 2014 SPIE.

Duke Scholars

Author Kathryn Hornburg