Liquid Crystal Polarization Rotators

• Company: Meadowlark Optics Inc.
• Type: Other
• Diameter / Dimension: 5mm - 76.2mm
• Applications: Astronomy, Biomedical/Medical, Communications, Industrial, Military, Scientific Research, Other
• Wavelength: 450 - 1800 nm (please specify)
• Polarization Rotation: 180° or more
• Polarization Purity: 150:1 average
• Wavefront Distortion: ≤ λ/4 (at 632.8 nm)
• Surface Quality: 40 - 20 Scratch-dig
• Beam Deviation: ≤ 2 arc min

Our Liquid Crystal Polarization Rotator continuously rotates the polarization orientation of a monochromatic, linearly polarized input beam. Our LPR consists of a compensated Liquid Crystal Variable Retarder combined with a zero‐order polymer quarter‐wave retarder. The fast axis of the liquid crystal variable retarder is oriented at 45° to the slow axis of the quarter-wave retarder and the linearly polarized input must be parallel to the quarter‐wave retarder slow axis. Polarization rotation is achieved by electrically controlling the retardance of the Liquid Crystal Variable Retarder, eliminating any mechanical motion.

A quarter‐wave retarder converts elliptical polarization formed by the Liquid Crystal Variable Retarder to linear polarization. The rotation angle is equal to one‐half the retardance change from the Liquid Crystal Variable Retarder. Response time of the LPR depends upon the desired amount of rotation. Small rotations have a longer response time.