Fabrication of S-waveplate is based on the inscription of self-organized nanograting’s inside fused silica glass using a femtosecond laser.
Beams with radial or azimuthal polarization attract significant interest due to unique optical properties associated with their inherent symmetry. Such beams enable resolution below the diffraction limit and interact without the undesirable anisotropy produced by linearly polarized light.
S-waveplate can be beneficial in polarization-sensitive applications. For example, a radially polarized beam is more efficient at drilling and cutting high-aspect-ratio features in metals. Vector beams are also applicable in optical tweezers, laser micromachining, STED microscopy, and two-photon-excitation fluorescence microscopy.
