TFP – Thin film polarizers
Sizes up to Ø200 mm | Extinction ratio >1000:1
Thin film polarizers (TFP) are suitable for a variety of applications in optical devices and systems. For instance, they can act as alternatives to Glan-type polarizers in laser systems where light source filtering is required
Polarizers efficiently separate s- and p-polarization beams. Through interference, s- and p- polarizations are split by 90 degrees; p-polarization is nearly fully transmitted through the optical element, while s-polarization is reflected, creating a polarizing beamsplitter effect.
3photon provides high-contrast TFP plates, which are glass plates (typically high-quality UVFS Corning 7980 0F substrates) coated with a dielectric polarizing layer.
TFP plates are often optimized for performance at Brewster’s angle. At this angle, the s-polarization beam is nearly fully reflected from the surface, while the p-polarization passes through the element. This minimizes reflection losses for transmitted polarization and removes the need for an anti-reflective (AR) backside coating. However, the polarizing coating can be tailored to function effectively at other angles of incidence.
- Applications
- Advantages
- Typical specifications
Applications vary based on the angle of incidence at which the TFP plate is used:
- At AOI=45°, TFP plates act as polarizing beam splitters, separating p- and s-polarizations by 90°, or as beam combiners for different polarizations at the same wavelength.
- At AOI=56.6° (Brewster’s angle), TFP plates serve as alternatives to Glan laser polarizing prisms or polarizing cube beam splitters in Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO4, and other laser systems.
- At AOI=72°, TFP plates are used as broadband polarization separators that provide low dispersion in femtosecond laser systems and other high-power laser applications.
Additional applications include:
- Second-harmonic generation (SHG).
- Laser materials processing.
- Highly efficient at Brewster’s angle.
- More cost-effective to manufacture than polarizing cubes, with a broader range of available sizes and apertures.
- Generally higher laser damage threshold than polarizing beam-splitter (PBS) cubes.
- Minimal wavefront distortion.
- Standard wavelengths:
- 532 nm Tp > 99%, Rs > 99.8%, AOI = Brewsters;
- 633 nm Tp > 99.3%, Rs > 99.8%, AOI = Brewsters;
- 1064 nm Tp > 99.6%, Rs > 99.9%, AOI = Brewsters;
- Extinction ratio Tp/Ts > 1000:1;
- Custom coatings are available for a range of angles of incidence and wavelengths.
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