ABSTRACT
A bulk component made of birefringent material of which phase retardation between ordinary and extraordinary axes is π or π/2. Quartz, rutile, and some polymer thin films such as polyimide and liquid-crystalline polymer are used as birefringent materials. The plate with the retardation of π is called half-wave plate and with the retardation of π/2 is called quarter-wave plate. The combination of half- and quarter-wave plates can convert any polarization state to linear or other desired polarization state by adjusting their primary axes.
