Abstract

A process for building large, homogeneous, adaptable retarders easily and at low cost is proposed and analyzed. This method is based on the properties of high polymers to present variable birefringence as a function of applied stresses and on the possibility of freezing these stresses inside the material by a thermal process. Various geometries for the applied forces make obtaining a large range of birefringence profiles possible. In the process that we describe composed bending leads to a linear birefringence profile. The superimposition of two pieces with identical profiles with opposite directions gives homogeneous constant retardation. This retardation can be adjusted by a relative displacement between the pieces. A precision of better than 1% over large areas (more than 3 cm in diameter) for a quarter-wave value has been obtained. The correct choice of material makes many applications possible with a large range of wavelengths.

© 1995 Optical Society of America

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