Abstract
We present a polymeric optical phase retarder that is electrically tunable by a dielectric elastomer actuator. The soft material device affords a large tuning range (14π at λ= 488 nm) combined with high accuracy in optical path length and low drift rate (8.3 nm/min). Furthermore, the phase retarder is not sensitive to polarization, introduces a wavefront distortion <λ/30, and tolerates high power densities (>141 kW/cm2). We show the dynamics for periodic phase modulation and demonstrate a simple drive technique for fast phase stepping. The polymer-based device is inexpensive, easy to fabricate, and its design can be adapted to specific applications.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 803-805 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Optics Letters |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 15 2009 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics