Specac - Free-Standing Wire Grid Polarizers
These polarizers consist of an array of parallel 5 μm or 10 μm tungsten wires secured to a mounting frame with a wire spacing of 12.5 μm or 25 μm. These wires act to reflect the incident radiation electric field component parallel to the direction of the wires, and transmit the electric field component perpendicular to the wires. There is no use of substrates, so the performance is dependent on the diameter and spacing between wires. Operating wavelengths are from 20 μm to 10 mm; ideal for mid-infrared (MIR), far-infrared (FIR), and terahertz (THz) applications.
- Wide wavelength range (20 µm to 10 mm)
- High degree of polarization; >99.9%
- High transmission efficiency
- No beam deviation or dispersion
- Choice of materials and mounting configurations
Standard polarizer frames are circular in shape, manufactured from aluminium, with a clear aperture in the range 25 mm to 120 mm. For customer applications, gold-plated tungsten or beryllium copper wire is available in diameters up to 50 µm. Furthermore, custom frame sizes and alternative frame materials of stainless steel, invar, Teflon, glass fiber, and molybdenum are offered. Typical applications include:
- far-infrared and terahertz polarizing beam splitters
- infrared spectroscopy polarization studies
- variable attenuation or reflection of polarized sources
- or as coupling devices for long-wavelength sources