Purchasing advisor for waveplates with supplier directory and AI-based advice; retarder plates, retarders, polarization, λ/4, λ/2, quarter wave, half wave (original) (raw)

Find all you need for professional sourcing of waveplates: a comprehensive expert-curated directory of suppliers, scientific and technical background information, and an interactive AI-based tool with guidance for a structured decision process.

NEW: Not only hardware can be listed here, but also consulting, software, training on waveplates, etc. – see the "offer types" below.

🌐 You appear to be visiting from North America. Many listed suppliers are based in this region, making the RP Photonics Buyer's Guide highly relevant for your needs.

Purchasing high-value photonics products is a substantial responsibility. Using a structured decision-making process and high quality supplier data helps a lot:

• Find all relevant suppliers (not limited to advertisers).
• Our interactive tool conveniently assists you in defining and applying your application-specific requirements.

Note that purchasing decisions based on just a few randomly picked suppliers and without carefully defined specifications are risky; therefore, we strongly recommend using our data and tool. See also:

• How Responsible Purchase Decisions for Expensive Goods Like Lasers Are Done
• Explanations on this purchasing tool

Go through the process:

1. Understand the technical background

2. Define your requirements

It is essential to fully understand and clearly define your requirements before you purchase.

We recommend that you develop a list of clear specifications according to your specific needs, against which you can later check the suitability of found product offers:

To help you, we have already listed some aspects we recommend you consider when buying waveplates. Of course, there may be other aspects that are relevant to your specific case.

This list is for your own preparation, and can later (possibly in modified form) be used for quotation requests to suppliers.

I think that I am sufficiently informed about our requirements.

Otherwise, you will need to talk to your technical colleagues.

I consider the above list of specifications to be sufficiently complete, clear and accurate.

If you cannot sufficiently clarify your requirements, you may want to get technical consultancy from RP Photonics.

Insert these criteria when creating inquiry mails to suppliers with the buttons "Get quotation".

You find these buttons in the supplier list below or under "3. Find suitable suppliers".

3. Find suitable suppliers

We suggest three steps:

• Below, you can find our list of suppliers for waveplates. Use the checkboxes to mark possibly suitable suppliers.
• The selected suppliers will appear below this list, along with your list of specifications. You can then indicate which specifications they meet according to your research. (You should finalize your specifications before doing this.)
• Based on the results, you can finally choose a supplier that is hopefully a good enough fit.

Selected suppliers:

(none so far)

Decision

The most suitable supplier you found:

Comments, e.g. reasons for your choice, or things which still need to be checked:

4. Document the decision process

It is essential to document your purchasing process, not only its result (chosen supplier):

• You will find it easier next time.
• If something goes wrong, you can defend your decision by showing that you properly considered all important aspects. Or you see what needs to be done better next time.

Our interactive tool makes it easy: Fill out the form, and in the end print it to a PDF. Note that the document will show all sections (including those not currently shown on the screen), while omitting some irrelevant details such as the page navigation.

Suppliers for Waveplates

98 suppliers for waveplates are listed in the RP Photonics Buyer's Guide, out of which 13 present their product descriptions and images. Both manufacturers and distributors can be registered.

Laser solutions for your µ tasks WOP | Workshop of PhotonicsUAB Altechna R&DMokslininku St. 6A08412 VilniusLithuania

⚙ hardware WOP offers polarization converters which are exceptional for their ultra-high damage threshold, suitable even for high-power lasers. S-Waveplate converts linear polarization to radial or azimuthal polarization and circular polarization to an optical vortex. Main features: converts linear polarization to radial or azimuthal polarization converts circular polarization to an optical vortex high 94% transmission at 1030 nm (no AR coating) stand-alone — no additional optical elements needed high damage threshold: 63,4 J/cm² at 1064 nm, 10 ns and 2,2 J/cm² at 1030 nm, 212 fs suitable for high LIDT applications and high-power lasers reliable and resistant surface — the structure is inside the bulk Additional waveplate assortment: higher order S-Waveplate: converts linear polarization to higher-order polarization patterns custom waveplate: enable patterned polarization control at the specific point of the laser beam Product-specific web page

YOUR KEY to innovation and success UltraFast Innovations GmbHDieselstr. 585748 Garching (München)GermanySee us at Photonics West 2026 in San Francisco, Jan. 20–22 (booth 2035)!

⚙ hardware AURORA, by UltraFast Innovations (UFI®), is a phase retarder (quarter waveplate) with a four-mirror grazing incidence reflection geometry for the extreme ultraviolet (XUV). It covers the range from 10 to 35 eV or 40 to 85 eV photon energy and reaches >25% transmittivity around 66 eV. A clear aperture of 3 mm allows the low divergent XUV from a high-harmonic-generation HHG cell to pass through without clipping. Product-specific web page

Quality You Can Trust, Expertise You Can See. Hangzhou Shalom Electro-optics Technology Co., Ltd.A635, Boke MansionNo. 9 Xiyuan RoadXihu District, Hangzhou 310030China

⚙ hardware🧩 accessories and parts🧴 consumables🔧 maintenance, repair📏 metrology, calibration, testing💡 consulting🧰 development Hangzhou shalom EO offers an extensive range of off-the-shelf and custom waveplates and retarders including zero-order waveplates, true zero-order waveplates, achromatic waveplates, super achromatic waveplates, dual wavelength zero-order waveplates, low-order waveplates. These waveplates composed of quartz or MgF2 crystal plates enable unrestrained control of polarization states with the additional advantage of high damage threshold. While we also provide polymer true zero order waveplates that are less sensitive to the angles of incidence. The structures of the waveplates can be varied for different requirements, such air spaced, cemented, or optically contacted designs. Retardation values like quarter waveplates, half waveplates, λ/8, or other custom retardance are accessible. Different coatings, standard diameter 1/2”, 1” and 2” mounts, including manual rotation mounts are available. Fresnel rhombs that create uniform λ/4 or λ/2 retardance over a wider range of wavelengths than possible with birefringent waveplates are also procurable. Product-specific web page

Optogama(4Lasers)Mokslininku str. 6B08412 VilniusLithuaniaSee us at Photonics West 2026 in San Francisco, Jan. 20–22 (booth 1565)!

⚙ hardware Optogama offers a wide range of precision-engineered waveplates, including crystalline quartz, achromatic (broadband), and mid-infrared options to meet diverse application requirements. Crystalline quartz zero-order waveplates—available as air-spaced half-wave and quarter-wave designs—are optimized for specific wavelengths within the 257–1550 nm range. The zero-order configuration ensures reduced sensitivity to temperature and wavelength fluctuations compared to multiple-order alternatives. Achromatic (broadband) waveplates are designed for stable performance across wider spectral ranges, covering bands from 460 nm to 1700 nm, and are available in both half-wave and quarter-wave versions. For mid-infrared applications, Optogama supplies monolithic, zero-order waveplates covering 2800–10600 nm (MWIR and LWIR). These are available with standard or custom retardance values and are well-suited for demanding IR systems. Product-specific web page

Your problem is our challenge – flexibility is our standard! Artifex Engineering GmbH & Co KGDortmunder Str. 16–1826723 EmdenGermany

⚙ hardware Artifex Engineering offers a wide range of custom waveplates for many applications. Waveplates, also known as retardation plates, are birefringent optical elements. Our portfolio covers achromatic, low order, zero and true zero order and MID-IR waveplates. Mounts are available for our waveplates on request. For example, we can provide true zero order plates mounted on an annular glass frame. In this manner, a robust optic is available with the full optical properties of a true zero order waveplate. In addition to single components, we will gladly provide functional subunits according to your needs. For example, we can supply isolators comprising a quarter-waveplate and polarizing beamsplitter cube mounted together in a single drop-in unit. Visit our product page for more information on each waveplate. We look forward to your inquiry. Product-specific web page

Your sidekick for laser optics development OPTOMANUkmerges g. 42714185 VilniusLithuaniaSee us at Photonics West 2026 in San Francisco, Jan. 20–22 (booth 3581)!

⚙ hardware OPTOMAN offers high quality zero-order air-spaced waveplates, that ensure precise and reliable polarization control across several wavelengths. These waveplates are engineered with an air-spaced design, which significantly enhances their performance by minimizing the impact of thermal effects, ensuring consistent operation even in demanding environments. The precision engineering of these waveplates allows for stable and reliable performance, making them perfect for a wide range of laser applications, including scientific research. In-stock waveplates can be found on OPTOSHOP. Product-specific web page

Your Custom Optics Expert Shanghai Optics Inc.425 Main St Suite 2EMetuchen, NJ 08840United States	⚙ hardware Shanghai Optics manufacturers micro-waveplates as small as 0.35 mm × 0.35 mm with tolerance of ±0.05 mm and thickness about 0.19 mm. Please contact us for manufacturing limit or custom specifications. Product-specific web page

Lasers, Optics, Electronics. Made in Germany. ALPHALAS GmbHBertha-von-Suttner-Str. 537085 GöttingenGermany

⚙ hardware ALPHALAS offers unique tunable and standard phase retardation plates (waveplates). A single UVIR type quarter-wave or half-wave plate can be adjusted to the desired phase retardation for an arbitrary wavelength from 150 nm (vacuum-UV) to 6500 nm (far infrared) and the FIR type waveplate from 1 μm to 21 μm. The bandwidth is up-to 200 nm. They replace hundreds of ordinary phase retardation plates required to cover these ultrawide spectral ranges. The tunable waveplates are by design zero-order and can be used for polarization control of broad-spectrum laser sources like femtosecond lasers and OPOs. Conventional zero-order, low-order and high-order waveplates for all standard wavelengths as well as customized designs and Fresnel rhombs are also available. Applications span from polarization measurement and control, polarimetry, laser research, spectroscopy up to nonlinear optics. Product-specific web page

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