Polymer Vortex Retarders VR2-488

The LBTEK Vortex Retarder (VR) is fabricated using N-BK7 glass substrates and Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) materials, featuring a sandwich structure of "front and rear glass substrates with an intermediate LCP functional layer," and is mounted in a standard SM1 lens tube.

In the LCP layer, the fast-axis orientation of the liquid crystal molecules is uniformly aligned along the radial direction of the substrate and continuously varies along the angular direction. The device exhibits a uniform λ/2 retardation across the entire plane, making it a single-wavelength component.

The vortex retarder possesses polarization-dependent optical characteristics. With different polarization states of the incident beam, it can generate vector-polarized beams or vortex beams with spiral phase fronts, converting TEM00-mode Gaussian beams into hollow "doughnut-shaped" intensity distributions.

Compared to traditional methods of optical field modulation, the vortex retarder offers high efficiency, stability, ease of operation, and dedicated functionality. Its true zero-order characteristic also contributes to low wavelength sensitivity, high temperature stability, and a wide range of incident angles.

Key Features

• Liquid Crystal Polymer/N-BK7 window plate, sandwich flat structure, with mechanical housing
• Polarization-dependent, applicable for generating vector polarized beams and vortex beams
• Highly efficient and stable, easy to operate, specialized function, large incident angle
• Operating wavelength λ: 405–1550 nm, order m: 1–128
• Flexible customization of parameter specifications available

m=2 Series

The m=2 vortex waveplate is suitable for incident light with diameters ranging from Ø1 mm to Ø21.5 mm, with a conversion efficiency of ≥99.5%. When illuminated with circularly polarized light, it can generate Laguerre-Gaussian beams with l=±2; under linearly polarized light, it produces higher-order vector polarized beams.

• Applicable to incident light with dimensions Ø0.05 to Ø21.5 mm
• Capable of generating Laguerre-Gaussian beams with l=±2
• Capable of generating higher-order vector polarized beams