Planar polarization transformer

US9389351B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• UNIVERSITE JEAN MONNET · FR

Inventors

• Thomas Kaempfe · Dresden, DE
• Olivier Parriaux · Saint-Étienne, FR

Key dates

• Filing date: May 31, 2012
• Grant date: Jul 12, 2016
• Expiry date: Sep 21, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F30/00
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The planar polarization transformer for a normally incident optical wave or beam having a given vacuum wavelength λ comprises an optical planar grating between a cover medium of refractive index nc and an optical substrate of refractive index ns, this planar grating defining a binary index modulation or corrugation of substantially rectangular profile with periodic ridges. This polarization transformer is characterized in that the ridge refractive index nr is larger than the substrate refractive index ns, the grating period Λ is larger than 0.4·λ/nc, the substrate refractive index ns is smaller than 2.7·nc, and the index modulation or corrugation is designed such that, according to the grating mode dispersion equation, the effective index of the mode TE0 is larger than the substrate index ns and the effective index of the mode TM0 is larger than the cover refractive index and smaller than the substrate index.