Birefringent Crystals

The high temperature phase of Alpha Barium Borate, α-BaB₂O₄ is an excellent birefringent crystal characterised by a large birefringent coefficient and a very wide transmission window from approximately 190nm to 3500nm.

Roditi supplies a wide range of birefringent crystals including yttrium vanadate (YVO₄), calcite, α-BBO, alpha Barium Borate (α-BaB₂O₄), lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) and quartz.

Calcite is a natural crystal of calcium carbonate, with a hexagonal-rhombohedral structure. With a high birefringence, wide spectral transmission and wide availability of sizes it has been a popular choice for visible and near-IR polarisation optics.

Manufactured by Oxide Corporation in Japan, Forsterite is an excellent birefringent material with a wide transparency range.

Undoped yttrium orthovanadate (YVO₄), usually just called vanadate, is widely used in beam displacement applications due to its large birefringence.