Polarization properties of thin-film-coated prisms

Ying Zhang; Lin Li; Yifan Huang

doi:10.1117/12.668102

1 February 2006 Polarization properties of thin-film-coated prisms

Ying Zhang, Lin Li, Yifan Huang

Proceedings Volume 6034, ICO20: Optical Design and Fabrication; 60340I (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.668102
Event: ICO20:Optical Devices and Instruments, 2005, Changchun, China

Abstract

Thin-film-coated prisms are used widely in optical systems. This is because that they not only provide a convenient and efficient means of light-beam deviation, but also have special polarization properties. Polarization effect is one of the most important factors affecting the performance of optical systems. Thin-film-coated prisms play an important part in the optical systems because of their special polarization properties. In this paper polarization properties of thin-film-coated prisms are analyzed as general polarization elements and two examples are given. The polarization properties of the prisms mainly lie on the thin films coated on the interfaces. One example in this paper is the design of using a thin-film-coated totally reflecting corner prism to produce quarter-wave phase retardation. Another example is the design of using a thin-film-coated beamsplitter cube prism to cancel the unwanted polarization effect. According to the analysis of the polarization properties of thin-film-coated prisms, we can draw a conclusion that it is an effective method to use thin-film-coated prisms to get the desired polarization state or to control the polarization effect in optical systems. Furthermore, optical thin film system coated on optical interfaces has a profound effect on the polarization properties of optical elements. Therefore, optical thin film designs should be considered carefully while designing optical systems.

Citation Download Citation

Ying Zhang, Lin Li, and Yifan Huang "Polarization properties of thin-film-coated prisms", Proc. SPIE 6034, ICO20: Optical Design and Fabrication, 60340I (1 February 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.668102

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KEYWORDS

Polarization

Prisms

Thin films

Beam splitters

Refractive index

Metals

Optical design

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