Thin-film plate polarizer with Fabry-Perot filter design

A thin-film plate polarizer with a polarization ratio T/Ts> 1000 for single laser wavelengths can be realized if a Fabry-Perot filter is used. The spectral width of the polarization region of the filter polarizer is smaller than that of the usual long-wave pass filter, but there are not the practical difficulties of depositing multilayer systems with a large number of layers having nonquarter-wave thicknesses. For theoretical analysis, the principle of equivalent layer is extended to the Fabry-Perot design. Experimental results of the Fabry-Perot filter polarizer for different laser wavelengths, and with different coating materials, are presented.