Where to Buy Waveplates

From crystal growth, crystal orientation and cutting, to waveplate fabrication and coating, no other waveplate supplier has as much control over the fabrication stages as G&H.

Our waveplates been used in the cutting edge of research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s NIF project to the most demanding of production environments in semiconductor metrology equipment.

For all wavelength ranges, we orient, cut, and polish the optical crystals for waveplate production. Tight internal controls enable better retardation tolerances within and between production runs.

Polishing, coating, assembly, and metrology complete the manufacturing process.

ALPHALAS offers unique tunable and standard phase retardation plates (waveplates). A single UVIR type quarter-wave or half-wave plate can be adjusted to the desired phase retardation for an arbitrary wavelength from 150 nm (vacuum-UV) to 6500 nm (far infrared) and the FIR type waveplate from 1 μm to 21 μm. The bandwidth is up-to 200 nm. They replace hundreds of ordinary phase retardation plates required to cover these ultrawide spectral ranges. The tunable waveplates are by design zero-order and can be used for polarization control of broad-spectrum laser sources like femtosecond lasers and OPOs.

Conventional zero-order, low-order and high-order waveplates for all standard wavelengths as well as customized designs and Fresnel rhombs are also available.

Applications span from polarization measurement and control, polarimetry, laser research, spectroscopy up to nonlinear optics.

Artifex Engineering offers a wide range of custom waveplates for many applications. Waveplates, also known as retardation plates, are birefringent optical elements. Our portfolio covers achromatic, low order, zero and true zero order and MID-IR waveplates. Mounts are available for our waveplates on request. For example, we can provide true zero order plates mounted on an annular glass frame. In this manner, a robust optic is available with the full optical properties of a true zero order waveplate. In addition to single components, we will gladly provide functional subunits according to your needs. For example, we can supply isolators comprising a quarter-waveplate and polarizing beamsplitter cube mounted together in a single drop-in unit. Visit our product page for more information on each waveplate. We look forward to your inquiry.

Edmund Optics offers a variety of waveplates with crystalline or polymer materials, including multiple order, zero order, or achromatic waveplates. Polymer waveplates offer superior performance over a wider range of incidence angles. Multiple order waveplates are ideal for use with monochromatic light that deviates less than 1% of the waveplate’s design wavelength. Zero order retarders offer high performance over wider wavelength or temperature ranges. Achromatic waveplates offer the most constant performance over the widest wavelength or temperature ranges.

UltraFast Innovations (UFI) offers the AURORA, which is a phase retarder (quarter waveplate) with a four mirror grazing incidence reflection geometry for the extreme ultraviolet. It covers the range from 40 to 85 eV photon energy and reaches >25% transmittivity around 66 eV. A clear aperture of 3 mm allows the low divergent XUV from an HHG cell to pass through without clipping.

Shalom EO offers a variety of waveplates and retarders including true zero-order waveplates, zero-order waveplates, dual wavelength zero-order waveplates, low-order and achromatic waveplates and Fresnel rhombs. These waveplates are made from quartz or MgF₂ crystals and are of excellent qualities with high damage threshold. Their structures can be varied for different requirements, e.g. to obtain epoxy cemented, air space or optically contacted designs. The retardation can be λ/4 or λ/2; both off-the-shelf and customized and mounted/coated modules are available.

Fresnel rhombs provide uniform λ/4 or λ/2 retardance over a wider range of wavelengths than possible with birefringent waveplates. Please visit our website for more information.

Knight Optical offers a range of stock and custom waveplates. Our stock catalogue consists of zero and low order quartz waveplates, achromatic waveplates, mica retarders, and plastic retarders. With our custom capabilities we are able to offer a wider variety including multiple order waveplates.

Shanghai Optics manufacturers micro-waveplates as small as 0.35 mm × 0.35 mm with tolerance of ±0.05 mm and thickness about 0.19 mm. Please contact us for manufacturing limit or custom specifications.

We offer a wide choice of zero-order, multiple-order and low-order waveplates made from crystalline quartz. Also, we have dual-wavelength waveplates for Ti:sapphire, Yb:KGW/KYW and Nd:YAG lasers, and achromatic waveplates for tunable lasers.