Birefringent polarization prism with a large angular aperture
US3998524A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 20, 1975 |
| Grant date | Dec 21, 1976 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 20, 1995 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B27/283
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus for polarizing natural light incident on a polarizer with an intermediate layer of one birefringent or biaxial material mounted between a pair of prism substrates of a second birefringent or biaxial material with a liquid or other index matching medium between the prism substrates and the intermediate layer to provide optical coupling between the three above-mentioned constituent parts of the prism. The materials of the prism substrates and of the intermediate layer being selected to be substantially transparent and to have orthogonal indices of refraction (n.sub.o and n.sub.e for birefringent materials and any two of n.sub.a, n.sub.b and n.sub.c for biaxial materials) which are considerably different for each individual material over the spectral region of the desired polarization. Further, the material of the intermediate layer is selected such that its greatest index of refraction curve is substantially equal to the lowest index of refraction curve of the material of the prism substrates over the spectral region of the desired polarization, and the optic axes of these materials are oriented in the assembled prism so that one constituent electric field component of t…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.