FILTER PRODUCTS

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FILTER PRODUCTS

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Linear Film Polarizers

Meadowlark Optics now offers an extremely broadband polarizer ​solution with up to 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Our new Ultra Broadband Polarizer performs well over a wavelength range of 300 to 2700 nm, rivaling the span of a Glan-Thompson calcite polarizer in a thin, compact design.​ ​The proprietary composition of the Ultra ...

Specifications

Substrate Material: Fused Silica
Polarizing Material: Other
Shape: Round
Size: 25.4 mm
Wavelength Range: 300 – 2700 nm
TFP polarizer separates polarization into its orthogonal components (s&p). Wide range of shapes, sizes, extinction ratios, LIDT and surface parameters are available.

Specifications

Substrate Material: N-BK7, Fused Silica, UVFS, Calcium Fluoride, Sapphire, Zinc Selenide, Schott Glass B270, Custom, Other
Polarizing Material: Custom, Other
Shape: Round, Square, Rectangle, Custom
Size: 1 mm
Wavelength Range: 193 – 3500 nm
Thin Film Polarizer separate the s- and p-polarization components. They are designed for use in high energy laser applications. Due to a high damage threshold, Thin Film Polarizer are used as an alternative to Glan Laser Polarizer or Polarizing Beam-splitter Cube. LASERSTEC use our super polished substrates and IBS coating to supply ...

Specifications

Substrate Material: UVFS
Polarizing Material: Custom
Shape: Custom
Size: 300 mm
Wavelength Range: 355 – 2200 nm
Femtoline Thin Film Laser Polarizers (Round) are optical components designed to separate s- and p-polarization components. These polarizers offer an excellent alternative to Glan laser polarizing prisms or cube polarizing beamsplitters, featuring a high damage threshold of up to 100 mJ/cm² at 800 nm with a pulse duration of 50 ...

Specifications

Substrate Material: Fused Silica, UVFS
Polarizing Material: Not Available
Shape: Round
Size: 25.4 mm
Wavelength Range: 1030 – 1030 nm
Thin film polarizers are used in polarization separation. They are especially well suited for high power levels and UV wavelengths. Broadband plate polarizers with low dispersion are particularly well-suited for polarization separation of broadband systems such as Ti:sapphire fs lasers.

Specifications

Substrate Material: N-BK7, Fused Silica, UVFS, Calcium Fluoride
Polarizing Material: Other
Shape: Round, Square, Rectangle, Custom
Size: 50 mm
Wavelength Range: 515 – 1064 nm

Linear Film Polarizers: Lightweight Solutions for Reliable Polarization Control

Linear film polarizers are essential optical components used to selectively transmit light vibrating in a specific direction while blocking the orthogonal polarization. These versatile devices are widely adopted across industries due to their thin form factor, cost-effectiveness, and compatibility with a broad range of optical systems.

What Are Linear Film Polarizers?

At the core of linear film polarizers is a specially treated polymer film—typically polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)—that is stretched to align the polymer chains. These chains are then embedded with iodine or other dichroic materials, allowing the film to absorb light polarized along one axis while transmitting light polarized perpendicular to that axis. The result is a linearly polarized beam with a well-defined orientation, ideal for a variety of imaging, display, and analytical applications.

Linear film polarizers are commonly laminated between protective substrates such as glass, plastic, or acrylic to enhance mechanical strength and protect the polarizing layer from environmental exposure. These laminated formats can be cut to custom sizes or integrated into optical assemblies with minimal complexity.

Key Advantages

One of the most attractive features of linear film polarizers is their lightweight and flexible nature. Unlike crystal-based polarizers, film polarizers can be manufactured in large sheets or rolls, making them suitable for mass production and integration into compact devices.

They also offer a relatively high extinction ratio and excellent transmission for the desired polarization axis. Their performance is consistent across a broad spectrum, particularly in the visible range, which makes them ideal for consumer electronics, industrial imaging systems, and laboratory equipment.

Additionally, linear film polarizers are highly customizable. Users can choose from a variety of substrate materials, sizes, shapes, and adhesive backing options, enabling seamless adaptation to both prototyping and volume production.

Applications Across Industries

Linear film polarizers are used in a wide range of applications, many of which people encounter daily. In consumer electronics, they are a foundational component in liquid crystal displays (LCDs), where they manage the polarization of light to control image brightness and contrast. Polarized sunglasses, camera lenses, and photographic filters also rely on linear film polarizers to reduce glare from reflective surfaces such as water, glass, or metal.

In industrial and scientific environments, linear polarizers play a critical role in optical testing, metrology, and machine vision. They help isolate polarization effects for materials inspection, stress analysis, and defect detection. In biomedical imaging, they are used in techniques like polarization-sensitive microscopy to enhance contrast and visualize tissue structures more clearly.

Film polarizers are also increasingly being used in educational and research settings due to their affordability and ease of use. Whether for polarization experiments in classrooms or precision optical measurements in laboratories, these polarizers offer consistent, reliable performance.

Find the Right Linear Film Polarizer

When selecting a linear film polarizer, consider the operating wavelength range, transmission efficiency, extinction ratio, and mechanical compatibility with your system. At FindLight, we offer a curated selection of linear film polarizers suited for a wide range of applications—from display integration and optical prototyping to advanced imaging systems. Browse our catalog to find the ideal solution for your optical needs.

Did You know?

Linear film polarizers play a vital role in countless everyday technologies, despite often going unnoticed. These thin, flexible sheets are engineered to transmit light vibrating in a single direction while absorbing the orthogonal polarization, making them key to controlling glare, enhancing contrast, and improving optical clarity. Found in everything from LCD screens and 3D glasses to scientific instruments and industrial sensors, linear film polarizers offer a lightweight, low-cost solution for polarization management. Their unique construction—usually involving stretched polymer films like polyvinyl alcohol treated with light-absorbing molecules—gives them high optical efficiency in a compact form factor. In photography, they help reduce reflections from surfaces like water or glass, allowing for clearer, more vibrant images. In research labs, they assist in examining birefringent materials or stress patterns in transparent plastics. Thanks to their ease of integration and broad wavelength coverage, linear film polarizers have become indispensable in applications ranging from display panels to quality control systems. While more advanced polarizers made of crystals or prisms are used in high-power laser environments, film polarizers remain the go-to choice when flexibility, scalability, and affordability matter most.