High-Performance Circular Polarizers for Space Applications

Reveo has invented novel thin-film circular polarizer technology that is suitable for harsh space and industrial environments. This technology is based on rotating inorganic birefringent thin films of refractory metal oxides obtained with an innovative variation of conventional vacuum deposition techniques. The polarizers have unprecedented high performance: high operating temperature well above 1000 C, wide operating spectral range from ultraviolet (lOum), an extinction ratio greater than 10,000, non-absorbing, an efficiency near theoretical 50% transmittance or reflectance for unpolarized light and high power handling capability (>l,OOOMW/cm2). The polarizing bandwidth can be engineered by the deposition process. With the same thin film material, polarizers with an extremely broad spectral band from the far infrared to the ultraviolet or with an extremely narrow spectral band (<O.lnm) can be obtained. Furthermore, by using the vacuum deposition process, durable and chemically inert thin-film coatings on any substrate, without size or shape limitation can be obtained. No prior technology has similar performance characteristics. In addition, the technology is versatile as it can be extended to high-performance optics such as mirrors, isolator and filters, and provide long sought performance improvement to the optical data storage technology.