A Cemented Zero Order Wave plate refers to a type of wave plate where two wave plate elements are cemented or bonded together to form a single unit.  Unlike multiple order wave plates which produce the desired retardation together with several excess wavelength shifts, zero order wave plates have the advantage of producing exactly the retardation intended. The terminal net retardation gained from Zero Order Wave plate is the difference between the two individual retardations respectively made in the two constituent wave plates, which is a function of the thickness difference between the two wave plates.  Since the detrimental retardation shifts in the first plate will be compensated by the second plate, zero order wave plates are substantially far less sensitive to changes in temperature and wavelength than their multi-order and low order counterparts. However, changes in the angle of incidence will still induce corresponding phase shifts. Therefore, Zero order wave plate is a preferable candidate for applications requiring higher wavelength and temperature stability. 

Crysmit offers Zero Order Half Wave plates, Zero Order Quarter Wave plates, and Zero Order Octadic Wave plates. Half Zero Order Wave plates, with retardation of lambda/2, could rotate the polarization plane of linearly polarized light. Quarter Zero Order Wave plates are often selected to transform linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light and vice versa. An Octadic Wave plate produces a retardation of lambda/8, it is extensively incorporated in applications of nonlinear optical systems, optical time-multiplexing systems, optical sensors, special interferometers, synchronous phase shifters, etc.

Zero order Wave plates with NOA61 Cemented design are cemented by NOA61 (NOA61 is a UV-cured optical grade adhesive sourced from Norland  Products), which is a high-performance adhesive compliant to Specification MIL-A-3920, featuring great bonding strength, high heat resistance, and excellent clarity to support optical applications under various operation conditions, and Crysmit only applies the adhesive outside the clear aperture of the wave plates. Wave plates made from Quartz (wavelength range 200-2000nm) are available at competitive prices,with both fast despatch guaranteed.

What is the principle and difference between a half-wave plate and a quarter-wave plate ？

• Half-wave plate: A half-wave plate introduces a phase shift of half a wavelength to change the polarization state of linearly polarized light. It rotates the polarization direction by a certain angle.

• Quarter-wave plate: A quarter-wave plate introduces a phase shift of a quarter of a wavelength to change the polarization state of linearly polarized light. It converts between linear and circular polarization.

• Difference: The main distinction lies in the amount of phase shift. A half-wave plate introduces a phase shift of half a wavelength, while a quarter-wave plate introduces a phase shift of a quarter of a wavelength. This leads to different effects on light polarization and their specific applications.

How to clean the wave plate ?

• Ensure your hands are clean and wear clean gloves.

• Gently wipe the surface of the wave plate with a soft, lint-free cloth or optical-grade tissue.

• If there is oil or stains, use an appropriate cleaning agent such as optical-grade alcohol or optical cleaning solution to gently wipe the wave plate.

• If necessary, use an ultrasonic cleaner for a more thorough cleaning.

• Finally dry it gently with a clean tissue or cloth.

• Be careful not to use excessive cleaning agents, handle with a gentle touch to avoid scratching the surface, and refer to the manufacturer's guidelines for special types of wave plates.

Literature

• Cs3B3O3F6 with a Deep-Ultraviolet Cutoff Edge and a Suitable Birefringence as the Potential Zero-Order Wave plate Material; M Cheng, W Jin, Z Yang, S Pan - Inorganic Chemistry, 2020 - ACS Publications

• Highly Resistant Zero‐Order Wave plates Based on All‐Silica Multilayer Coatings; L Grinevičiūtė, M Andrulevičius… - … status solidi (a), 2017 - Wiley Online Library

• Stability of birefringent linear retarders (wave plates); PD Hale, GW Day - Applied optics, 1988 - opg.optica.org

• Design for the optical retardation in broadband zero-order half-wave plates; J Liu, Y Cai, H Chen, X Zeng, D Zou, S Xu - Optics Express, 2011 - opg.optica.org

• Zeroth-order half-wave plates of LiNbO3 for integrated optics applications at 1.55 μm; AM Radojevic, RM Osgood, M Levy… - IEEE Photonics …, 2000 - ieeexplore.ieee.org