Measurement of Chromatic Birefringence Dispersion of Phase Plates Written in Glasses by Femtosecond Pulses

Abstract

The direct femtosecond laser writing of phase optical elements in glasses represents a promising technique for controlling light beams and developing new functional devices that operate on the birefringence effect. In this study, phase plates were written in the volume of silica and nanoporous glasses using a laser beam. For the first time, the chromatic dispersion curves of birefringence were measured for such plates using multiple methods. This allows the retardance of birefringent elements fabricated by direct laser writing to be estimated, even when using commercial birefringence analysis systems operating at a specific wavelength.