Introduction:
Single Synthetic Crystal Quartz of this category is better-qualified optical quartz. Quarter wave plates or retardation plates represent the vast majority of optical devices manufactured from crystal quartz. Generally speaking, wave plates are fabricated from an X or Y-cut piece of crystal quartz. For these applications, the most important parameters are inclusions and homogeneity.
Due to the slow growth rate of crystal quartz in the Z direction, wave plate fabricators have been limited to dicing final components from 1 or 2-inch diameter seed-free wafers to get full utilization of the wafer area. This limitation on the diameter of the wafer has resulted in diminished yields of finished devices from quartz wafers.
We have answered the challenge with development of the Wave Plate Bar which new Wave Plate Bar features:
- Near Zero Inclusions
- Near Zero Dislocations Across the Optical Surface
- Lowest Level of Impurities
- Largest, Seed-Free Usable Area
- Short Lead-Times
- Competitive Pricing
Near zero inclusions in the wave plate bar not only improves the final device transmittance or performances, they also helps optical device fabricators attain higher yields on very thick parts. Zero dislocations across the optical surface reduce the internal strain within the crystal device, which results in a much-improved transmittance. Further, by utilizing pure-Z material for raw material, Wave Plate Bar material is extremely pure which also results in a much-improved transmittance. The improved transmittance of this material is evident.
Our first generation wave plate bars provide optical fabricators with a large (100 mm dia) usable area to either fabricate a very large diameter quartz wave plate or a very large diameter wave plate wafer that can then be diced into small parts. Wave Plate Bar material offers customers a highly engineered product at some of the best competitive pricing and the shortest lead-times of our product offering.
Features
• Stock wavelengths 488nm to 1550nm
• Stock l/4, l/2 retardances
• Custom wavelengths and retardances available upon request
• Quick turn around times
Nominal Specifications
• Retardance Accuracy: ±l/500
• Beam Deviation (Max): 10 arc-sec
• Wavefront Distortion: <l/10
• Surface Quality: 10-5 Scratch Dig
• Damage Threshold: 2MW/cm2 CW
2J/cm2 10ns pulse
