Birefringent waveplate

This chapter describes the synthesis of partially fluorinated polyimides for optical teleconununications applications," " 2 their optical transparency (optical loss), refractive index, and birefringence properties" in addition to their fundamental properties. It also describes their device application as optical interference filters," " optical waveplates," and optical waveguides." -" ... 

A. M. Title, Improvement of birefringent filters. II Achromatic waveplates, Applied Optics, 14, 229 (1975). 

Matsuda and Ando [34] discuss the control of molecular orientation and anisotropic optical properties of uniaxially drawn fluorinated PI films based on pyromellitic dianhydride and 2,2 - fs-(trifluoromethyl)-4,4 -diaminobiphenyl used for light wave circuit applications. Methods of controlling in-plane birefringence in PI films were developed and a PI waveplate was prepared. This waveplate was inserted into a groove formed in an arrayed waveguide grating, the polarisation dependence of which was completely eliminated. 

This matrix now allows us to propagate coherent light through an arbitrarily oriented birefringent material. We can also define useful retardation elements such as half and quarter waveplates, which can be used to make up functional optical systems. A combination of these elements can also be analyzed from right to left as a series of matrix multiplications. 

Birefringent components are used for optical polarization devices such as polarizers, waveplates, and beam splitters. Birefringence means that the refractive index of materials is different in different directions. The refiactive index of a material is related to the molecular polarizability via the Lorentz-Lorenz equation as follows ... 

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