Young researcher Bianka Csanakova has proposed a simple Silicon Brewster plate wavelength polarizer and separator for a mid-IR optical parametric source.
Lasers operating in the mid-infrared wavelength range often struggle with a limited availability of optical elements, such as polarizers and wavelength separators, especially when a broadband wavelength range coverage is required. Currently used separators are high-priced and difficult to design and manufacture.
At the same time, mid-infrared lasers are commonly used not only in industry as tools for polymer processing, but also in medical and surgical applications, such as ophthalmology, micro-surgery, dermatology, urology, and dental surgery.
Therefore, the HiLASE Centre team (Bianka Csanakova, Ondrej Novak, Martin Smrz, Jaroslav Huynh) came up with a unique but simple solution. The two-plate and four-plate polarizers are effective, low-cost, high-power tools covering a broadband wavelength range. As a result, in the future it may make the use of mid-infrared lasers in both industrial and medical applications much more effective.
Read the whole article “Silicon Brewster plate wavelength separator for a mid-IR optical parametric source” published in Applied Optics (January 2021).
