Electro Optical Components, Inc. Low Order Quartz Retardation Plates

These retardation plates use high optical damage threshold crystal quartz. They are orientated with the optic axis in the plane of the plate and light polarized at 45° to the quartz optic axis is resolved into two equal amplitude components that suffer a relative phase retardation due to their different propagating velocities. Most low order plates lie in a thickness range of 100-200μm (At 1.06μm a first order λ/2 plate is approximately 182 μm thick). Low order plates are generally used because they are relatively temperature insensitive compared to high multiple order plates. They are also less sensitive to axial misalignment. Retardation plates can be supplied mounted or unmounted with or without A.R. coatings.