Optical device
AssigneeMurata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
InventorsKeiji Murata, Futoshi Ishii
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical device is provided that includes a first optical member made of a birefringent material and disposed so that an optical axis of the first optical member is neither parallel nor orthogonal to a direction in which incident light travels. Moreover, a second optical member made of a birefringent material is disposed so that an optical axis of the second optical member is neither parallel nor orthogonal to the direction in which the incident light travels. A third optical member is disposed between the first and second optical members and generates an optical path difference of {¼+m×(½)}×λ (m is an integer) between orthogonal polarization components of light emitted from the first optical member. At least one of the optical members is rotatable about an axis of the incident light.
Claims18
An optical device comprising:
- a first single optical member comprising a birefringent material and disposed so that an optical axis of the first optical member is neither parallel nor orthogonal to a direction in which incident light travels, the first optical member of a thickness X;
- a second single optical member comprising a birefringent material and disposed so that an optical axis of the second optical member is neither parallel nor orthogonal to the direction in which the incident light travels, the second optical member of the thickness X;
- and
- a third single optical member disposed between the first and second optical members and constructed to generate an optical path difference of {¼+m×(½)}×λ between orthogonal polarization components of light emitted from the first optical member, the third optical member of a thickness Y,
- wherein the thickness Y is different from thickness X;
- wherein λ is a wavelength of the incident light and m is an integer,
- wherein at least one of the first optical member, the second optical member, or the third optical member is configured to rotate about an axis of the incident light such that the incident light impinges upon the optical device at a first state and at a second state based on the rotation of the at least one of the first optical member, the second optical member, or the third optical member, where the first state is different than the second state, and
- wherein the second optical member is configured to rotate at least 180 degrees about the axis of the incident light relative to the first optical member.
An optical device comprising:
- a first single optical member formed of a material and constructed to have an optical axis that is neither parallel nor orthogonal to a direction in which incident light travels through the optical device, the first single optical member of a thickness X;
- a second single optical member formed of a material and constructed to have an optical axis that is neither parallel nor orthogonal to the direction in which the incident light travels, the second single optical member of the thickness X;
- and
- a third single optical member disposed between the first and second optical members and constructed to generate an optical path difference of {¼+m×(½)}×λ between orthogonal polarization components of light emitted from the first optical member, the third single optical member of a thickness Y;
- wherein the thickness Y is different from thickness X;
- wherein λ is a wavelength of the incident light and m is an integer, and
- wherein at least one of the first optical member, the second optical member, or the third optical member is configured to rotate about an axis of the incident light such that the incident light impinges upon the optical device at a first state and at a second state based on the rotation of the at least one of the first optical member, the second optical member, or the third optical member, where the first state is different than the second state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.